Laissez-faire

Laissez-faire is a term used throughout several disciplines ie political philosophy, education, sociology. It is a French phrase meaning to "let things alone, let them pass".

Political Use
In the 1800's, the British philosopher Herbert Spencer wrote about survival of the fittest even before Darwin's book was published. He became the most influential philosopher in applying 'evolution ideas' to social evolution. ,

In 1851, he published his first book. He argued for laissez-faire capitalism, an economic system that allows businesses to operate with little government interference. A year later, and seven years before Darwin published Origin of Species, Spencer coined the phrase "survival of the fittest." Herbert Spencer based his concept of social evolution, popularly known as "Social Darwinism," on individual competition. Spencer believed that competition was "the law of life" and resulted in the "survival of the fittest."

"Society advances," Spencer wrote, "where its fittest members are allowed to assert their fitness with the least hindrance." He went on to argue that the unfit should "not be prevented from dying out."

Unlike Darwin, Spencer believed that individuals could genetically pass on their learned characteristics to their children. This was a common, but erroneous belief in the 19th century. To Spencer, the fittest persons inherited such qualities as industriousness, frugality, the desire to own property, and the ability to accumulate wealth. The unfit inherited laziness, stupidity, and immorality. According to Spencer, the population of unfit people would slowly decline. They would eventually become extinct because of their failure to compete. The government, in his view, should not take any actions to prevent this from happening, since this would go against the evolution of civilization ... he argued that government should get out of the way of the fittest individuals ... Spencer criticized the English Parliament for "over-legislation." He defined this as passing laws that helped the workers, the poor, and the weak. In his opinion, such laws needlessly delayed the extinction of the unfit.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Although it is difficult to know what Nietzsche actually believed ( his books only represent one side of Nietzsche), this lack of concern for the needs of the poor and the so called 'weak' was given direction and power through his writings. Thus, Spencer and Nietzsche contributed to a movement that promoted an Elitist Paradigm.

Education and Laissez-faire
With respect to our education system, our political representatives, school board trustees, administrators, teachers and parents can take a similar Elitist View to that of Spencer and Nietzsche that supports the needs of those who currently 'fit' our education system, or it can embrace the needs of learners with different learning styles. If it chooses to leave things alone
( a laissez-faire approach) then, in a sense, it is chooses to respect and embrace the ideas of Spencer and Nietzsche. On the other hand, if it chooses to embrace the needs of the so called weak than it moves in direction that has moral integrity and that gives opportunity to a greater number of individuals.