“Libertarians of the Robert Nozick variety tend to conceive of society as having only two levels — government, and individuals. In this conception, freedoms can only be taken away by the government. But I argued that there are key mezzanine institutions — corporations, churches, universities, schools, and so on — that sit somewhere between government and the individual, and hold real power over individuals, and that this power shouldn’t be ignored when we think about what makes for a free society. If mezzanine institutions oppress individuals, that’s real systematic oppression, and a real loss of human freedom, even if the government stands back and washes its hands of the whole situation.”
From NoahPinion