physiocrat

Member of a school of 18th-century French economists, including François Quesnay (1694-1774) and Mirabeau, who believed in the bounty of nature and the inherent goodness of man. They held that governments should intervene in society only where individuals' liberties were infringed. Otherwise there should be a laissez-faire system with free trade between states. The Scottish economist Adam Smith was much influenced by their ideas.