Jos Verhulst (1949) has a PhD in quantum chemistry from the University of Leuven, Belgium, and his other studies include philosophy and economics. He is the co-founder of Democratie.nu, the Belgian movement for direct democracy.

Jos Verhulst's previous titles include 'Der Glanz von Kopenhagen: Geistige Perspektiven der modernen Physik' ('Spiritual perspectives on modern physics', 1994), an Aristotelian interpretation of quantum mechanics, and 'Der

Erstgeborene: Mensch und höhere Tiere in der Evolution' (1998), a non-Darwinian view of human evolution (published in 2003 in the United States with the title: 'Developmental Dynamics in Humans and Other Primates'). His work has been

published in Psychological Reports, Acta Biotheoretica, the British Medical Journal, and Annals of Human Biology. He also publishes articles on various social topics in numerous newspapers and magazines. He wrote the first edition of this

book in 1998.

Arjen Nijeboer (1974) studied Journalism and Communication at Windesheim College, Zwolle, the Netherlands, and International Relations at the University of Amsterdam. He is a co-founder of the Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe and the Referendum Platform. He has conducted various campaigns in the Netherlands for the introduction of direct democracy, including the campaign for a referendum on the European Constitution, and advises politicians, authorities and organisations concerning referendums and campaigns. He publishes articles about democratic issues in national newspapers and professional and academic magazines in various countries. He is the co-author of this extended and updated edition.