During the nineteenth century, paternalist ideas waned, as the…

During the nineteenth century, paternalist ideas waned, as the…

During the nineteenth century, paternalist ideas waned, as the philosophy

of laissez-faire took root. Most educated people, including the judges, took laissez-faire to mean that the law should interfere with people as little as possible…Its main objective was to enable people to “realise their wills”, or, in more prosaic language, to leave them to get on with their business, to conduct their commercial affairs as they thought best, to lead their own lives unhampered by governmental interference, and so forth”

An introduction to the Law of Contract P.S.Atiyah Fifth edition, Oxford University Press (2002).

Discuss to what extent the philosophy of laissez-faire and freedom of choice underpins the law contract today.