SK>If an individual were going to live on a desert island by themself, or
SK>on top of a mountain as a hermit, then I would agree with you that that
SK>individual should have complete and total freedom to decide what and how
SK>they want to live. But, we live in a society with others, and what we
SK>decide to do can affect others. Each individual does have some
SK>responsibilities to the others in society with which he lives. I do not
SK>wish to debate that with you, and if you try I will simply not respond.
SK>That is a tenet for me, that you cannot change. No man is an island.
One might go further, and argue that Mankind as a whole
represents an extended organism which must evolve.  Taking
it further yet, mankind may be the ONLY intelligent life in
the universe (statistics suggest otherwise), and bear a
responsibility to push outward and ensure its survival....
Michael sees Illich's position as an evolutionary one,
where I'm beginning to see it as anti-technological which
might lead to stagnation of the species. 
I'm reading an interesting book which is based upon this
idea: The Millennial Project; the author is Marshall T.
Savage.  He cites the example of a closed bottle containing
yeast cells.  As the cells double each day, the bottle
becomes filled by the 30th day and all the cells die.  The
last chance to impact on this situation is on the 29th day.
He suggests that mankind is approaching that 29th day, and
must take steps to ensure its survival by dispersing to the
moon, planets, and stars.  He outlines an eight step program
for accomplishing that goal.  I haven't gotten very far as
yet, but the concept is compelling.  It also leads me to
compare this idea to those of an author named Gordon Dickson 
(I think this is right) who has written an entire series of
sci-fi books concerning space colonists: Dorsai, Exotics,
Friendlies, etc.  The thrust is similar: mankind as an
extended organism which must evolve and press forward as a
moral imperative...  Off topic... Oops... I got carried
away.... Sorry...
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