10 Questions: Robbert Dijkgraaf - Theoretical physicist, University of Amsterdam (Holland)

..But it's still very important that you do it so you have to see it in a wider context than just your individual decision.

Everybody thinks they don't matter. I mean I could vote or not, who cares? And it's all those little things that add up to something which is very substantial and that influences the course of a nation. So, it's in some sense one of the few occasions where you have this feeling that you only make sense as part of a larger entity. And I think that's a wonderful experience.

Who would you vote for as president of the world?
President of the world, that sounds like a very dangerous job. I think I would vote for somebody who wouldn't like the job. The first name that comes to mind is something like Albert Einstein. He's no longer here but I think in fact that scientists or something similar would be a good choice.

Could you name a living person?
Well, one physicist I really like is Freeman Dyson. He's a philosopher and physicist who always wants to go against the grain. I think a person like that I would like to see as world president.

Can terrorism destroy eh democracy?
I think actually it's already doing this. If you look at the United States, I think we see in everyday practice now, that the terrorist attacks there have changed the way democracy is working. There is more secrecy and more hidden programs, more things which would be unthinkable even a few years ago, so I think yes, it can.

 So is it the terrorists who are changing democracy or are the Americans changing democracy?
Well it's, it's a complicated affair of reactions and and counteractions but I think the the the overall result is that the attacks of 9/11 have changed the nature of democracy in the world, yes, and not in a positive way.

What's wrong with democracy?
I think the problem with democracy is that people think it's some ideal form of government, and of course it is not. It's a very messy thing you have to work everyday to correct.

There are lots of things wrong with it, so I think you have this image, that it's some kind of idealization in our heads that we are struggling with. And I actually feel democracy is much more, it´s not a state, it's actually some kind of activity, it's something you have to work on.

And I think that's something that people usually forget when they're upset with things in politics, because they see a situation they don't like very much. But they should come to grips with the fact that democracy is something that you have to work for every day.

Are women more democratic than men?
Oh that's a dangerous question. You could phrase the question like: "Are men a little bit more adapted to an authoritative model?" I think they are. Yes. It's very dangerous to say this because I have no scientific facts to back it. But my feelings in general in everyday life, that women are a little bit more interested in building a consensus and seeing how groups operate.

And I feel men at least cultivate a more individualistic approach. So I think, with my experience in all kinds of organizations, the moment more women become part of it, in some sense the atmosphere becomes nicer.

Is God democratic?
I'm not a religious person but if anything I would associate emotions with God, with a kind of Spinoza's God, which is then perhaps nature, and nature is of course extremely democratic in the sense that every little bit of the universe is in some sense created equal. And as important as another bit. So yeah, he would be extremely democratic.

And is the concept democratic, the concept of having a God?
I think that depends very much on what concept of God you have. I mean one of the problems I have as being not religious is that all these different concepts are so extremely different. And for me it's very difficult to pick one, pick ... clearly I have very non-democratic images of God.

Is democracy good for everybody?
No, it's not good for dictators. I think that the problem with democracy is that probably nobody is completely happy in a fully democratic society. And that's really the challenge, to come to grips with that. You have to work with the system which in some sense never really satisfies everybody completely. And yet it's probably the best we have.

It's the only one who comes near, near to satisfying everybody?
Well it's probably optimal in some way, in a in a vague way in which you average out the feelings of everybody. But clearly if you want to have a situation which is absolutely perfect for one person, it will only come at the expense of others, so I think in a democracy there is a large amount of frustration.

What would make you start a revolution?
I would be very bad catalyst of a revolution, I'd probably start something by accident, which is probably the way most revolutions are started.

Are dictators ever good?
Yes, I think there's exceptions to this. Well I think there could be. That's of course dangerous. I think that's the reason why sometimes people are not feeling so upset by an authoritive leader. Because they could in principle make all the right decisions. I think the chance is extremely small, but there's the theoretical possibility and I actually think that people, in their minds, sometimes get kind of attracted to that idea.

But you can't think of one?
I think, no. Again, there's a theoretical possibility. I think that people struggled through history very very much with this concept, how to be the ideal dictator. And I think it didn't work.

Are elections enough to have a democracy?
No. I think elections are certainly a crucial part of it, but my feeling is we need a democracy that you have to work on every day. Because there are lots of kind of influences that kind of threaten democracy, that make it decay in some sense. So it's like a building that you know you have to restore every day. You have to work on it and you have to work on the attitudes of people. That has to be refreshed every day. So I think it's really a work in progress.