And indeed there is a large literature on the subject. But from a legal point of view
it does not make sense. Civil society, to the extent that it survives, exists not
by design but by default and on state sufferance. For civil society to be apart
from the state in a strong sense, the state must be bound by a rule of law that
limits its interference in a meaningful way. This meaning of ‘‘apart’’ has clear
liberal roots.For civil society to be apart
from the state in a strong sense, the state must be bound by a rule of law that
limits its interference in a meaningful way. This meaning of ‘‘apart’’ has clear
liberal roots.