Contributed by: filbert Sunday, January 17 2010 @ 07:46 AM CST
The question of whether the state should or should not “act” or “interfere” poses an altogether false alternative, and the term “lassez faire” is a highly ambiguous and misleading description of the principles on which a liberal policy is based . . . The important question is whether the individual can foresee the action of the state and make use of this knowledge as a datum in forming his own plans, with the result that the state cannot control the use made of its machinery and that the individual knows precisely how far he will be protected against interference from others, or whether the state is in a position to frustrate individual efforts.
Excerpted under Fair Use for purposes of non-commercial education, discussion and comment. Any transcription or typographical errors are mine.