William H. Davidow

In the following viewpoint, William H. Davidow argues that information technology threatens to undermine the power of government in relation to special interest groups, corporations, and taxpayers. He contends that society must be legally, economically, and socially restructured in order to address this power imbalance. Davidow, a former senior vice president of Intel, is a general partner in Mohr, Davidow Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does the author differentiate between physical and intellectual infrastructures"

2. What solution does Davidow offer to combat corporate “governments” from gathering too much power"

3. What taxes are the easiest to collect, according to the author"

People make tools, and tools then remake social systems— that has been the case for millenniums. The heavy plow...