Invention comes from (groups of) individuals, not institutions. But individuals can become institutionalized... Not all leisured aristocrats did creative work

Invention comes from (groups of) individuals, not institutions. But individuals can become institutionalized... Not all leisured aristocrats did creative work - but the system of aristocracy facilitated it. The giant monopoly of Bell System created a similar space within it - Bells labs - and we got C and unix. Another monopoly enabled space in the form of Xerox PARC - more innovations. If universities can create some space within them, not controlled by grants, then individuals can do creative work. Another view is that today, we are as rich as those leisured aristocrats of old (if we don't care to keep up consumption with the Joneses). We can become pg-style independently wealthy, or just live frugally, and (groups of) individuals are free to create.