Well, that's not correct per se, but the situation is something like that.
This is a Latin phrase meaning "by itself," or innately.A per se matter is one that is alone and not connected to another matter.intrinsically: with respect to its inherent nature; "this statement is interesting per se"
Per se means `by itself' or `in itself', and is used when you are talking about the qualities of one thing considered on its own, rather than in connection with other things. The authors' argument is not with the free market per se but with the western society in which it works. used to say that something is being considered alone, not with other connected things
By or of itself; for example, slander per se, where the words spoken are obviously defamatory and the injured party is not required to prove damage to his character