Dupont de Nemours and the origin of the maxim 'laissez faire, laissez passer'

摘要

Dupont de Nemours begins his 'Lettre à la Chambre de Commerce de Normandie' (1788) with an excerpt from the catholic bible. This quote refers to the Lazarus's miraculous re-birth: "Otez-lui fes liens, & laiffez-le aller."~(1)The quote is Jesus' statement upon bringing Lazarus back to life. This reference begins our inquiry into the origin of the laissez-faire maxim. In this paper, we highlight some mistranslations, some historical shortcomings and present our perspective on the origin of the maxim.