title: Tabula rasa

text: Haven't we already disposed of the difficulty about interaction involving a common element, when we said that mind is in a sense potentially whatever is thinkable, though actually it is nothing until it has thought? What it thinks must be in it just as characters may be said to be on a writing-tablet on which as yet nothing stands written: this is exactly what happens with mind.


title: Tabula rasa

text: This idea was further evolved in Ancient Greek philosophy by the Stoic school. Stoic epistemology emphasizes that the mind starts blank, but acquires knowledge as the outside world is impressed upon it. The doxographer Aetius summarizes this view as "When a man is born, the Stoics say, he has the commanding part of his soul like a sheet of paper ready for writing upon." Diogenes Laërtius attributes a similar belief to the Stoic Zeno of Citium when he writes in "Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers" that:


title: Tabula rasa

text: Perception, again, is an impression produced on the mind, its name being appropriately borrowed from impressions on wax made by a seal; and perception they divide into, comprehensible and incomprehensible: Comprehensible, which they call the criterion of facts, and which is produced by a real object, and is, therefore, at the same time conformable to that object; Incomprehensible, which has no relation to any real object, or else, if it has any such relation, does not correspond to it, being but a vague and indistinct representation.


title: Tabula rasa

text: In the 11th century, the theory of "tabula rasa" was developed more clearly by Avicenna. He argued that the "human intellect at birth resembled a "tabula rasa", a pure potentiality that is actualized through education and comes to know." Thus, according to Avicenna, knowledge is attained through "empirical familiarity with objects in this world from which one abstracts universal concepts," which develops through a "syllogistic method of reasoning; observations lead to propositional statements, which when compounded lead to further abstract concepts." He further argued that the intellect itself "possesses levels of development from the static/material intellect, that potentiality can acquire knowledge to the active intellect, the state of the human intellect at conjunction with the perfect source of knowledge."


title: Tabula rasa

text: In the 12th century, the Andalusian-Islamic philosopher and novelist, Ibn Tufail (known as Abubacer or Ebn Tophail in the West) demonstrated the theory of "tabula rasa" as a thought experiment through his Arabic philosophical novel, "Hayy ibn Yaqdhan", in which he depicts the development of the mind of a feral child "from a tabula rasa to that of an adult, in complete isolation from society" on a desert island, through experience alone.


title: Tabula rasa

text: The Latin translation of his philosophical novel, entitled "Philosophus Autodidactus", published by Edward Pococke the Younger in 1671, had an influence on John Locke's formulation of "tabula rasa" in "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding".


title: Tabula rasa

text: In the 13th century, St. Thomas Aquinas brought the Aristotelian and Avicennian notions to the forefront of Christian thought. These notions sharply contrasted with the previously-held Platonic notions of the human mind as an entity that pre-existed somewhere in the heavens, before being sent down to join a body here on Earth (cf. Plato's "Phaedo" and "Apology", as well as others). St. Bonaventure (also 13th century) was one of the fiercest intellectual opponents of Aquinas, offering some of the strongest arguments toward the Platonic idea of the mind.


title: Tabula rasa

text: Descartes, in his work "The Search for Truth by Natural Light", summarizes an empiricist view in which he uses the words "table rase", in French; in the following English translation, this was rendered "tabula rasa":


title: Tabula rasa

text: All that seems to me to explain itself very clearly if we compare the imagination of children to a "tabula rasa" on which our ideas, which resemble portraits of each object taken from nature, should depict themselves. The senses, the inclinations, our masters and our intelligence, are the various painters who have the power of executing this work; and amongst them, those who are least adapted to succeed in it, i.e. the imperfect senses, blind instinct, and foolish nurses, are the first to mingle themselves with it. There finally comes the best of all, intelligence, and yet it is still requisite for it to have an apprenticeship of several years, and to follow the example of its masters for long, before daring to rectify a single one of their errors. In my opinion this is one of the principal causes of the difficulty we experience in attaining to true knowledge. For our senses really perceive that alone which is most coarse and common; our natural instinct is entirely corrupted; and as to our masters, although there may no doubt be very perfect ones found amongst them, they yet cannot force our minds to accept their reasoning before our understanding has examined it, for the accomplishment of this end pertains to it alone. But it is like a clever painter who might have been called upon to put the last touches on a bad picture sketched out by prentice hands, and who would probably have to employ all the rules of his art in correcting little by little first a trait here, then a trait there, and finally be required to add to it from his own hand all that was lacking, and who yet could not prevent great faults from remaining in it, because from the beginning the picture would have been badly conceived, the figures badly placed, and the proportions badly observed.


title: Tabula rasa

text: The modern idea of the theory is attributed mostly to John Locke's expression of the idea in "Essay Concerning Human Understanding", particularly using the term "white paper" in Book II, Chap. I, 2. In Locke's philosophy, "tabula rasa" was the theory that at birth the (human) mind is a "blank slate" without rules for processing data, and that data is added and rules for processing are formed solely by one's sensory experiences. The notion is central to Lockean empiricism; it serves as the starting point for Locke's subsequent explication (in Book II) of simple ideas and complex ideas.


title: Tabula rasa

text: As understood by Locke, "tabula rasa" meant that the mind of the individual was born blank, and it also emphasized the freedom of individuals to author their own soul. Individuals are free to define the content of their character—but basic identity as a member of the human species cannot be altered. This presumption of a free, self-authored mind combined with an immutable human nature leads to the Lockean doctrine of "natural" rights. Locke's idea of "tabula rasa" is frequently compared with Thomas Hobbes's viewpoint of human nature, in which humans are endowed with inherent mental content—particularly with selfishness.


title: Tabula rasa

text: "Tabula rasa" also features in Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis. Freud depicted personality traits as being formed by family dynamics (see Oedipus complex). Freud's theories imply that humans lack free will, but also that genetic influences on human personality are minimal. In Freudian psychoanalysis, one is largely determined by one's upbringing.


title: Tabula rasa

text: Psychologists and neurobiologists have shown evidence that initially, the entire cerebral cortex is programmed and organized to process sensory input, control motor actions, regulate emotion, and respond reflexively (under predetermined conditions). These programmed mechanisms in the brain subsequently act to learn and refine the ability of the organism.


title: Tabula rasa

text: For example, psychologist Steven Pinker showed that—in contrast to written language—the brain is "hard-wired" at birth to acquire spoken language.


title: Tabula rasa

text: There have been claims by a minority in psychology and neurobiology, however, that the brain is "tabula rasa" only for certain behaviours. For instance, with respect to one's ability to acquire both general and special types of knowledge or skills, Michael Howe argued against the existence of innate talent. There also have been neurological investigations into specific learning and memory functions, such as Karl Lashley's study on mass action and serial interaction mechanisms.


title: Tabula rasa

text: Important evidence against the "tabula rasa" model of the mind comes from behavioural genetics, especially twin and adoption studies (see below). These indicate strong genetic influences on personal characteristics such as IQ, alcoholism, gender identity, and other traits. Critically, multivariate studies show that the distinct faculties of the mind, such as memory and reason, fractionate along genetic boundaries. Cultural universals such as emotion and the relative resilience of psychological adaptation to accidental biological changes also support basic biological mechanisms in the mind.


title: Tabula rasa

text: Twin studies have resulted in important evidence against the "tabula rasa" model of the mind, specifically, of social behaviour. The "social pre-wiring" "hypothesis" (also informally known as "wired to be social") refers to the ontogeny of social interaction. The theory questions whether there is a propensity to socially oriented action already present "before" birth. Research in the theory concludes that newborns are born into the world with a unique genetic wiring to be social.


title: Tabula rasa

text: Circumstantial evidence supporting the social pre-wiring hypothesis can be revealed when examining newborns' behaviour. Newborns, not even hours after birth, have been found to display a preparedness for social interaction. This preparedness is expressed in ways such as their imitation of facial gestures. This observed behaviour cannot be attributed to any current form of socialization or social construction. Rather, newborns most likely inherit to some extent social behaviour and identity through genetics.


title: Tabula rasa

text: Principal evidence of this theory is uncovered by examining twin pregnancies. The main argument is, if there are social behaviours that are inherited and developed before birth, then one should expect twin fetuses to engage in some form of social interaction before they are born. Thus, ten fetuses were analyzed over a period of time using ultrasound techniques. Using kinematic analysis, the results of the experiment were that the twin fetuses would interact with each other for longer periods and more often as the pregnancies went on. Researchers were able to conclude that the performance of movements between the co-twins were not accidental but specifically aimed.


title: Tabula rasa

text: The social pre-wiring hypothesis was proven correct:The central advance of this study is the demonstration that 'social actions' are already performed in the second trimester of gestation. Starting from the 14th week of gestation twin fetuses plan and execute movements specifically aimed at the co-twin. These findings force us to predate the emergence of social behaviour: when the context enables it, as in the case of twin fetuses, other-directed actions are not only possible but predominant over self-directed actions.


title: Tabula rasa

text: In artificial intelligence, "tabula rasa" refers to the development of autonomous agents with a mechanism to reason and plan toward their goal, but no "built-in" knowledge-base of their environment. Thus, they truly are a blank slate.


title: Tabula rasa

text: In reality, autonomous agents possess an initial data-set or knowledge-base, but this cannot be immutable or it would hamper autonomy and heuristic ability. Even if the data-set is empty, it usually may be argued that there is a built-in bias in the reasoning and planning mechanisms. Either intentionally or unintentionally placed there by the human designer, it thus negates the true spirit of "tabula rasa".


title: Tabula rasa

text: A synthetic (programming) language parser (LR(1), LALR(1) or SLR(1), for example) could be considered a special case of a "tabula rasa", as it is designed to accept "any" of a possibly infinite set of source language programs, within a "single" programming language, and to output either a good parse of the program, or a good machine language translation of the program, either of which represents a "success", or, alternately, a "failure", and nothing else. The "initial data-set" is a set of tables which are generally produced mechanically by a parser table generator, usually from a BNF representation of the source language, and represents a "table representation" of that "single" programming language.


title: Tabula rasa

text: AlphaZero achieved superhuman performance in various board games using self-play and "tabula rasa" reinforcement learning, meaning it had no access to human games or hard-coded human knowledge about either game, only being given the rules of the games.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Joseph Obey Joyce (born 19 September 1985) is a British professional boxer who has held the WBO interim heavyweight title since September 2022. At a regional level, he held the British, Commonwealth, WBC Silver, and WBO International heavyweight titles from 2020 to 2022, and the European heavyweight title from 2020 to 2021. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2013 European Championships; gold at the 2014 Commonwealth and 2015 European Games; bronze at the 2015 World Championships; and silver at the 2016 Olympics.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: As of October 2022, he is ranked as the world's second-best active heavyweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, fourth by "The Ring" magazine, and sixth by ESPN and BoxRec. He is known for his exceptional punching power, relentless pace, and granite chin, and currently holds a 93% knockout-to-win percentage, having won all fights but one by stoppage.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Born to a Scottish-born Irish father and a mother of Nigerian origin, Joyce grew up in London and studied at Elliott School, based in Putney. He took up boxing at the age of 22, having his interest in track and field athletics curtailed by injuries, and joined Earlsfield ABC, based in Earlsfield, London. Joyce is on record saying ‘I don’t really like boxing, but I enjoy doing it’, highlighting the fact that he was not a big boxing fan growing up, and only started watching some of the greats after getting into boxing properly.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Joyce obtained a BSc degree in Fine Arts at Middlesex University in 2009; he graduated with Upper Second Class Honours.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: He competed in the men's super heavyweight division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where he won the gold medal. He also won the title at the 2015 European Games in Baku.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Joyce won the super heavyweight class at the 2012 ABA Championships and 2012 GB Amateur Boxing Championships. He won the bronze in his class at the 2013 European Amateur Boxing Championships after getting KOd by defending Russian champion Sergei Kuzmin in the semifinal.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: He had success during 2015 and 2016 in the World Series of Boxing, and in April 2016 won a gold medal at the European Olympic trials to qualify for the Olympics. On 21 August 2016 Joyce won the silver medal in the super heavyweight class at the 2016 Summer Olympics, losing in the final, via a controversial split decision to Tony Yoka of France. It was the final medal won by Team GB at the Olympics.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Joyce turned professional in July 2017 at the age of 31, signing with Hayemaker Ringstar. On 6 September 2017, an official announcement was made for the first boxing event which would take place at Indigo, The O2 arena in London on 20 October 2017. Haye confirmed that Joyce would headline the card, making his debut against experienced former WBO Asia Pacific champion Ian Lewison (12-3, 8 KOs). Joyce put on an impressive display in a hard earned victory. Promoter David Haye spoke to Metro after the bout stating he offered British heavyweight champion Sam Sexton a career-high payday to fight Joyce next, but hadn't heard anything back. He also offered David Allen a fight, who turned it down to rematch Lenroy Thomas. Haye hoped to get Joyce back in action on the undercard of his rematch with Tony Bellew in December 2017.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 2 November, Joyce confirmed that he would fight on the Tony Bellew vs. David Haye II undercard on 17 December. Two days later, British boxer Tom Little (10-4, 3 KOs) was announced as his opponent. The event was rescheduled to 5 May 2018. On 30 January 2018, Hayemaker Ringstar announced that Joyce would make his next appearance at the York Hall in London on 16 February against 25 year old Croatian boxer Rudolf Jozic (4-1, 3 KOs). On 3 February, whilst backstage at the O2 Arena in London for Lawrence Okolie vs. Isaac Chamberlain, Derek Chisora met with Haye and Joyce, where Chisora revealed Haye had contacted his manager Steve Goodwin and offered £60,000 for him to fight Joyce. Chisora later stated if the money was right, he would fight Joyce on the Tony Bellew vs. David Haye II card on 5 May 2018. Joyce knocked out Jozic in the first round after landing a right hand to the head towards the end of the round. When the result was announced, the timekeeper included the 10-count, announcing the time of stoppage as 3 minutes and 6 seconds. After the fight, Haye stated a new six-figure offer would be presented to Chisora, which would see him earn around the same purse he received in his loss to Agit Kabayel.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 1 March, speaking ahead of his next fight at the York Hall on 17 March against Donnie Palmer, Joyce stated that Chisora had rejected the offer to fight him. Joyce knocked Palmer out inside the first minute of round one at the O2 Arena. On 24 March, after Chisora knocked out his French opponent Zakaria Azzouzi and then called Joyce and Haye over during his post fight interview with Sky Sports. Prior to calling them over, Chisora referred to Joyce as a Chihuahua. Chisora first asked Haye if he had confidence in Joyce and then stated, "In front of the British public on live television, I’ll make a deal with you right now: if he (Joyce) beats me you write me a cheque of £1, if I beat him you give me your purse against Tony (Bellew) and your TV rights." Haye rejected the offer. Chisora then told Haye to not mention his name again. Haye told Sky Sports, "We offered him the same money he got for (Kubrat) Pulev, more money than he got for the European title, but you said no. Okay, we understand."


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 16 April 2018, it was announced a deal was in place for Joyce to challenge for the Commonwealth heavyweight title against Jamaican boxer Lenroy Thomas (22-4-1, 10 KOs). Two days later, Sky Sports officially announced the fight for 5 May. Joyce entered the ring wearing a sombrero. He knocked Thomas down three times before the fight came to an end in round 2. Two knockdowns came from body shots and the final knockdown came from a left hook to the head.. After the fight, Joyce stated he would like to challenge for the British heavyweight title. By winning the belt in just his fourth professional bout, Joyce broke a 106-year record.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 21 May, it was announced that Joyce would make a first defence of his Commonwealth title on 15 June at the York Hall in London, live and exclusive on Dave. On 8 June, Ghanaian boxer Richard Lartey (12-1, 9 KOs) was confirmed as Joyce's opponent. A day before the fight, Lartey was replaced by Croatian journeyman Ivica Bacurin (29-13-1, 18 KOs). In a non-title fight, Joyce knocked Bacurin out in less than two minutes. After the fight, there was talks around a potential fight with British champion Hughie Fury. On 18 June, Joyce said he was open to fighting American heavyweight Bryant Jennings (23-2, 13 KOs) on 18 August 2018 in New Jersey. Jennings was initially in talks to fight former WBO champion Joseph Parker on the same date, however Parker opted to fight Dillian Whyte on 28 July.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: After Kell Brook suffered an ankle injury and ruled himself out of the Whyte-Parker PPV card, there was rumours that Joyce would fight domestic rival Nick Webb on the undercard. Joyce quickly denied the reports and stated he had no intention in fighting in July. He also stated he had parted ways with trainer Ismail Salas after Salas had announced himself semi-retired and moved to Doha, Qatar.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 24 July 2018, Joyce started a one month trial with world-renowned trainer Abel Sanchez. Seven days later Joyce and Sanchez reached a deal to team up full time. On 15 August, Joyce signed a deal with powerful American advisor Al Haymon. It was said that Joyce would make his US debut before the end of 2018. On 4 September, it was announced that Joyce would fight Iago Kiladze (26-3, 18 KOs) in an 8-round bout at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on 30 September. Joyce kept his unbeaten run alive with a fifth round knockout win over Kiladze. Joyce knocked Kiladze down three times in dropping him in rounds 2, 3 and 5. The fight was stopped after the third knockdown with Kiladze appearing hurt. The official time of the stoppage was at 41 seconds of the round. Kiladze didn't appear to cause any damage with the shots he landed and Joyce appeared to use his jab more.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: After being listed as a next possible opponent for Joyce, former world title challenger Gerald Washington (19-2-1, 12 KOs) welcomed the bout, which was likely to take place on the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury Showtime PPV undercard on 1 December 2018. Joyce spent the next few weeks as one of Fury's sparring partners. On 30 October, it was revealed that Joyce would fight returning American boxer Joe Hanks (23-2, 15 KOs) on the Wilder-Fury card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Joyce weighed 262 pounds compared to Hanks' 247 ½ pounds. It was reported by the CSAC, Joyce would make $40,000 and Hanks would take home $50,000. Joyce put on an impressive performance in knocking out Hanks in the first round of their scheduled 10 round bout. Hanks had his moments earlier in the round. He landed several clean shots that made Joyce take a few steps back. Joyce came back and hurt Hanks with right hands. Joyce then landed a hard left to the head, knocking Hanks down. Hanks managed to beat referee Jerry Cantu's count; however, the fight was waved off. The time of stoppage was 2 minutes and 25 seconds of round one, awarding Joyce the vacant WBA Continental heavyweight title. In the post-fight presser, Joyce called out Luis Ortiz, also stating he was ready for bigger challenges. Ortiz accepted, claiming he does not turn down a challenge.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 23 January 2019, PBC announced Joyce would return to the UK and fight former world titleholder Bermane Stiverne (25-3-1, 21 KOs) on the James DeGale-Chris Eubank Jr. PPV undercard on 23 February at The O2 Arena in London. Joyce explained the fight was made after Stiverne made comments about "taking Joyce to school", when they sparred previously. Stiverne explained he felt insulted that Joyce, who had only 7 professional bouts under his belt, wanted to fight him. Before the fight, Joyce stated he would not be finishing the fight in round 1, as he 'was not there yet', but predicted he would take Stiverne out by round 8. Stiverne came into this fight at 273 pounds. Joyce kept his knockout streak alive by finishing Stiverne in round 6 of their scheduled 12 round bout. Both boxers started the fight aggressively throwing punches. By round 2, Joyce began landing shots which wobbled Stiverne. With his guard no longer high, Stiverne stayed on his feet and finished the round. in round 3, Joyce landed a big right hand, which sent Stiverne into the ropes, forcing the referee to make a 10-count. Stiverne recovered and managed to get through the next couple of rounds due to Joyce slowing down his pace. The end came when Joyce trapped Stiverne against the ropes in round 6 and landed two right hands, forcing referee Howard Foster to stop the action. Stiverne had no complaints with the stoppage and walked slowly back to his corner. After the bout, Joyce's co-promoter Richard Schaefer said Joyce would likely return on Wilder's undercard in May and then look to challenge for the WBA 'Regular' title later in the year. With the win, Joyce retained the Commonwealth belt and won the vacant WBA Gold heavyweight title.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: In March 2019, Joyce became the mandatory challenger for European heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel. Joyce also became linked with fighting British prospect Daniel Dubois for the vacant British heavyweight title, with Frank Warren also stating he had no issued with making the fight happen. On 17 April 2019, Joyce revealed he had split with trainer Abel Sanchez, having moved back to UK to train with Adam Booth in London.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 25 April 2019, Joyce signed with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions to co-promote him, alongside Ringstar Sports. It was announced Joyce would return to the ring on the undercard of Billy Joe Saunders vs. Shefat Isufi on 18 May at the Lamex Stadium in Stevenage, England. On 2 May, 42 year old Russian boxer Alexander Ustinov (34-3, 25 KOs) was announced as Joyce's opponent, subject to a visa. Joyce explained he could have waited for a bigger fight in July, but wanted to stay busy instead, not fighting another journeyman. Joyce won the fight via TKO in round 3. In round 1, Joyce started off picking his shots behind the jab. Ustinov also managed to land a small number of shots, which had no impact on Joyce. Joyce increased his output in round 2, putting pressure on Ustinov, who did not land very much and began holding on. By the end of round 2, Ustinov was on unsteady legs. Both boxers started round 3 trading, with both landing clean shots. Joyce being more active, was throwing with both hands and managed to land a clean left hand to Ustinov's head, dropping him near the ropes. Ustinov slowly tried to beat the count, but was unable to, and counted out. Joyce said after the fight backstage, "The proof's in the pudding. You tell Eddie, you know, winning this fight like that, before Hunter, proves to the world, and to Eddie, that I am a credible opponent [for Joshua]." Joyce felt the win would help him get a world title opportunity by the end of 2019.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Joyce would next be scheduled to fight at The O2 Arena in London, on 13 July 2019, on the Daniel Dubois vs. Nathan Gorman: Heavy Duty card. On 22 May, Joyce's manager Sam Jones revealed that he was unable to agree a deal with Alexander Povetkin, Joseph Parker, Derek Chisora and Agit Kabayel to fight Joyce in July. He stated he would now look at the likes of Éric Molina, Bryant Jennings and Chris Arreola. A day later, Jennings came out as being the favourite to fight Joyce. Jennings teased the announcement via his social media, when he tagged "Grind 7/13 O2 Arena", under a video segment of him working out. Sam Jones replied to the tweet, "He's going to need more than a vegan diet and a six-pack to deal with Joe." On the night, Joyce was taken the full distance for the first time in his career, winning a unanimous decision with scores of 118-109, 117-110 and 115-112, with the irregular scores due to Jennings being deducted a point for a low blow.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Over a year later, Joyce returned to the ring on 25 July 2020 against Michael Wallisch in a behind-closed-doors bout in Stratford. After knocking Wallisch down three times in the first three rounds, the referee stopped the fight resulting in a third-round technical knockout victory for Joyce.


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 28 November 2020, Joyce fought undefeated prospect Daniel Dubois in Church House in London. This was a highly anticipated domestic match-up that had big implications for future world title hopes as both fighters came in undefeated, with the British, Commonwealth, European, WBC Silver and WBO International heavyweight titles on the line. In a competitive fight, it was the jab of Joyce that made the biggest difference swelling the eye of Dubois from the second round and closing the eye by the tenth round. Dubois was unable to continue in the tenth round: he pawed at his swollen left eye and voluntarily went down on one knee taking a ten count from the referee, before being counted out. In an upset victory, Joyce was declared the winner by tenth-round knockout. In his post-fight interview, Joyce declared, "I'm ready for [the WBO's #1 ranked heavyweight] Oleksandr Usyk. Daniel has got some power but I've felt power like that before. With my experience I've learnt to ride them."


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 16 June 2021, it was announced that Joyce's next fight would be against former world title challenger Carlos Takam on 24 July at the SSE Arena. After a slow start from Joyce on the night, in which Takam landed numerous punches to the head and body of Joyce in the opening rounds, Joyce staggered his opponent at the start of the sixth round, overwhelming him with a barrage of punches and forcing referee Steve Gray to halt the fight. The official result was a sixth-round technical knockout victory for Joyce. In his post-fight interview, he named the two opponents that he would be interested in facing next: "What I want is AJ or [Oleksandr] Usyk."


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Joyce's next fight would also take place at the SSE Arena, almost one year later on 2 July 2022 against Christian Hammer. He knocked Hammer to the canvas multiple times, before finally finishing off his opponent with a left hook to the body in the fourth round. After the fight, Joyce asserted, "I'm top level ready for the world stage. I'm ready for all comers and I'm looking to fight the winner of AJ-Usyk, maybe Tyson Fury. I'm at that level."


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: On 24 September 2022, Joyce headlined a BT Sport Box Office pay-per-view show against former WBO champion Joseph Parker at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, in a fight between the WBO's number 1 and 2 contenders for the vacant interim title. In a fast-paced bout in which both men landed power punches, Joyce was able to bloody Parker's nose and open a cut above his eye, fighting largely on the front foot and using his jab to set up his attacks, while Parker was able to work off the back foot, finding some success with the left hook and overhand right. In the eleventh round, Joyce knocked his opponent down with a powerful left hook. Parker was able to rise to his feet, but the referee deemed it unsafe for him to continue, halting the fight to declare Joyce the winner by eleventh-round knockout. With the result, Joyce became the first man to stop Parker, who had previously never been knocked out. Joyce made it clear that he wanted to face the full WBO champion next, saying, "[Oleksandr] Usyk, let's get it on."


title: Joe Joyce (boxer)

text: Outside the ring, he is a proficient artist, having graduated with a 2:1 degree in fine arts from Middlesex University. In 2017, Joyce has displays with the Art of the Olympians.


title: DC Universe

text: The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Harley Quinn are from this universe, as well as teams such as the Justice League, Teen Titans and the Suicide Squad. It also contains well-known supervillains such as the Joker, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Deathstroke, Deadshot, Reverse-Flash, Black Manta, the Penguin, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, Ra’s al Ghul, Sinestro, Brainiac, and Darkseid. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC continuity.


title: DC Universe

text: The term "DC Multiverse" refers to the collection of all continuities within DC Comics publications. Within the Multiverse, the main DC Universe has gone by many names, but in recent years has been referred to by "Prime Earth" (not to be confused with "Earth Prime") or "Earth 0".


title: DC Universe

text: The main DC Universe, as well as the alternate realities related to it, were quickly adapted to other media such as film serials or radio dramas. In subsequent decades, the continuity between all of these media became increasingly complex with certain storylines and events designed to simplify or streamline the more confusing aspects of characters' histories.


title: DC Universe

text: The fact that DC Comics characters coexisted in the same world was first established in "All Star Comics" #3 (1940) where several superheroes (who starred in separate stories in the series up to that point) met each other in a group dubbed the Justice Society of America. Earth-Two was the primary world of this publication era, as established in "Flash of Two Worlds" and "Crisis on Earth-Two!".


title: DC Universe

text: In the Silver Age, the Justice Society was reimagined as the Justice League of America, which was founded with Major League Baseball's National League and American League as inspiration for the name. The comic book that introduced the Justice League was titled "The Brave and the Bold". However, the majority of National/DC's publications continued to be written with little regard of maintaining continuity with each other for the first few decades.


title: DC Universe

text: In the 1950s and 1960s, DC has introduced different versions of its characters, sometimes presenting them as if the earlier version had never existed, including: Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and Hawkman (Katar Hol).. These new versions of the characters had similar powers but different names and personal histories. Similarly, they had characters such as Batman whose early adventures set in the 1940s could not easily be reconciled with stories featuring a still-youthful man in the 1960s. To explain this, they introduced the idea of the Multiverse in "Flash" #123 (1961) where the Silver Age Flash met his Golden Age counterpart. In addition to allowing the conflicting stories to "co-exist", it allowed the differing versions of characters to meet, and even team up to combat cross-universe threats. The writers gave designations such as "Earth-One", "Earth-Two", and so forth, to certain universes, designations which at times were also used by the characters themselves. Earth-One was the primary world of this publication era, as established in "Flash of Two Worlds" and "Crisis on Earth-One!".


title: DC Universe

text: Over the years, as the number of titles published increased and the volume of past stories accumulated, it became increasingly difficult to maintain internal consistency. In the face of diminishing sales, maintaining the status quo of their most popular characters became attractive. Although retcons were used as a way to explain apparent inconsistencies in stories written, editors at DC came to consider the varied continuity of multiple Earths too difficult to keep track of, and feared that it was an obstacle to accessibility for new readers. To address this, they published the cross-universe miniseries "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in 1985, which merged universes and characters, reducing the Multiverse to a single unnamed universe with a single history.


title: DC Universe

text: However, not all the books rebooted post-Crisis. For example, the Legion of Superheroes book acted as if the Pre-Crisis Earth-1 history was still their past, a point driven home in the "Cosmic Boy" miniseries. It also removed the mechanism DC had been using to deal with continuity glitches or storylines that a later writer wanted to ignore (which is how Earths B and E came into existence) resulting in a convoluted explanation for characters like Hawkman.


title: DC Universe

text: The "Zero Hour" limited series (1994) gave them an opportunity to revise timelines and rewrite the DC Universe history. However this failed right out of the gate as the writers had Waverider state all alternate histories had been wiped and yet have the "Armageddon 2001" saga in the timeline which required multiple timelines to work.


title: DC Universe

text: As a result, almost once per decade since the 1980s, the DC Universe experiences a major crisis that allows any number of changes from new versions of characters to appear as a whole reboot of the universe, restarting nominally all the characters into a new and modernized version of their lives.


title: DC Universe

text: Meanwhile, DC has published occasional stories called "Elseworlds", which often presented alternate versions of its characters. One told the story of Bruce Wayne as a Green Lantern. In another tale, "Superman: Speeding Bullets", the rocket ship that brought the infant Superman to Earth was discovered by the Wayne family of Gotham City rather than the Kents.


title: DC Universe

text: In 1999, "The Kingdom" reintroduced a variant of the old Multiverse concept called Hypertime which essentially allows for alternate versions of characters and worlds again. The entire process was possibly inspired by Alan Moore's meta-comic, "Supreme: Story of the Year "(1997).


title: DC Universe

text: The "Convergence" (2015) crossover officially retconned the events of "Crisis" after heroes in that series went back in time to prevent the collapse of the Multiverse. However, Brainiac states "Each world has evolved but they all still exist". It has been confirmed that all previous worlds and timelines now exist, and that there are even multiple Multiverses now in existence, such as the Pre-"Crisis" infinite Multiverse, the collapsed Earth, and the Pre-"New 52" 52 worlds Multiverse.


title: DC Universe

text: The "Infinite Crisis" event (2005–2006) remade the DC Universe yet again, with new changes. The limited series "52" (2006–2007) established that a new multiverse now existed, with Earth-0 as the primary Earth.


title: DC Universe

text: The 2011 reboot of the DC Universe coincided with DC's publishing event The New 52, during which the publisher cancelled its ongoing titles and relaunched 52 new books, including a number of new books, set within a revised continuity. This follows the conclusion of the "Flashpoint" crossover storyline, which provided a jumping-off point for the existing continuity. A number of in-universe changes are intended to make characters more modern and accessible, though the scope of the changes varies from character to character. Some like Batman have their histories left largely intact, though compressed, while others were given wildly different histories and looks. DC stopped putting 'The New 52' logo on its publications in the summer of 2015, coinciding with the "Convergence" anniversary crossover event which celebrated the history of the DC Multiverse and its various incarnations.


title: DC Universe

text: In February 2016, DC announced its DC Rebirth initiative, a line-wide relaunch of its titles, to begin in June 2016. Beginning with an 80-page one-shot which was released on May 25, 2016, DC Rebirth also sees "Action Comics" and "Detective Comics" return to their previous numbering (#957 and #934 respectively), all books releasing at , multiple books shifting to a twice-monthly release schedule, a number of existing titles relaunching with new #1s, and the release of several new titles. DC has used the "" and "" miniseries as examples of the basis for the initiative, which has been described as a rebirth of the DC Universe. The "DC Rebirth" initiative will reintroduce concepts from pre-"Flashpoint" continuity, such as legacy, that have been lost with "The New 52" and build "on everything that's been published since Action Comics #1 up thru The New 52."


title: DC Universe

text: In October 2017, DC revealed that they would be discontinuing the Rebirth branding and logo from their titles in December 2017, releasing everything under a single umbrella title as the DC Universe. Coincided with the release of the New Age of Heroes imprint, DiDio explained, "We want to make it clear that this is all the DC Universe... Rebirth pretty much the DCU now; while we're taking Rebirth off the books, we'll be following the direction that Rebirth established." Titles also received new trade dress, with those "that tie in clearly to our larger DC Universe" having a "DCU logo on them" in addition to corner boxes with icons of the characters to help identify the family of titles; titles outside the DCU, such as "Injustice: Gods Among Us" and "DC Bombshells" would simply have the DC logo on them. DiDio also added that the Young Animal imprint would continue as a separate line of titles.


title: DC Universe

text: In 2021, DC announced a line-wide relaunch of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. A number of miniseries and one-shots were also announced. It is the follow-up to the DC Rebirth relaunch.


title: DC Universe

text: The basic concept of the DC Universe is that it is just like the real world, but with superheroes and supervillains existing in it. However, there are other corollary differences resulting from the justifications implied by that main concept. Many fictional countries, such as Qurac, Vlatava, and Zandia, exist in it. Though stories are often set in the United States of America, they are as often as not set in fictional cities, such as Gotham City or Metropolis. These cities are effectively archetypes of cities, with Gotham City embodying more of the negative aspects of life in a large city, and Metropolis reflecting more of the positive aspects. Sentient alien species (such as Kryptonians and Thanagarians) and even functioning interstellar societies are generally known to exist, and the arrival of alien spacecraft is not uncommon. Technologies which are only theoretical in the real world, such as artificial intelligence or are outright impossible according to modern science, such as faster-than-light travel, are functional and reproducible, though they are often portrayed as highly experimental and difficult to achieve. Demonstrable magic exists and can be learned. The general history of the fictional world is similar to the real one (for instance, there was a Roman Empire, and World War II and 9/11 both occurred), but many fantastic additions exist, such as the known existence of Atlantis. In recent years, stories have increasingly described events which bring the DC Universe farther away from reality, such as World War III occurring, Lex Luthor being elected as President of the United States in 2000, and entire cities and countries being destroyed. There are other minor variations, such as the Earth being slightly larger than ours (to accommodate the extra countries), and the planet Saturn having 18 moons rather than 19 because Superman destroyed one.


title: DC Universe

text: "New Earth" is the Earth-like home planet to the main storybook characters of the DC Universe - the one with Smallville where Superman grows up, and Gotham City where Bruce Wayne avenges his parents by becoming Batman. This New Earth is part of a larger DC Universe and DC Multiverse.


title: DC Universe

text: Originally created from the First Crisis, it was allegedly erased from existence because of the Flashpoint–Convergence effect, being replaced by "Prime Earth". By the end of the storyline "Superman Reborn", the timelines of New Earth and Prime Earth have realigned into one single reality.


title: DC Universe

text: Many of the superhumans on Earth owe their powers to the "metagene", a genetic feature of unknown origin, which causes some people to develop superpowers when exposed to dangerous substances and forces. Others owe their powers to magic, genetic manipulation (or mutation) or bionics ("see below"). A large power gap resides between most superheroes and civilians. Still others owe their powers to not being human at all ("see" races, "below"). There are also superheroes and supervillains who possess no superhuman powers at all (for example Batman, Robin, Green Arrow or Speedy), but rival their effectiveness with specialized equipment or "to the absolute limit of human potential" training in special skills, such as martial arts.


title: DC Universe

text: The humans first began using costumed identities to fight or commit crime during the 1930s. The first superheroes included characters like the Crimson Avenger and The Sandman. In November 1940, the first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, was formed. During World War II, all of America's heroes were banded together as the All-Star Squadron to protect the United States from the Axis powers. However, due to a magical spell cast by Adolf Hitler (using the Spear of Destiny and the Holy Grail) the most powerful heroes were unable to enter Axis-held territories, leaving the offensive portion of the war to be fought mainly by normal humans such as Sgt. Rock while the superheroes participated in defensive activities in Allied territories. After the war, under pressure from the paranoid Committee on Un-American Activities, the JSA disbanded. While many types of heroes were active afterwards (mainly non-costumed, such as the Challengers of the Unknown or Detective Chimp), it was not until Superman's public debut that a new generation of costumed heroes became active. Soon after, the Justice League of America was formed, and they have remained Earth's preeminent superhero team; most DC heroes (such as the Teen Titans) have either belonged to the League at some point, or have connections to it.


title: DC Universe

text: As a general rule, being a superhero does not require powers anywhere near omnipotence. Furthermore, even major heroes and cosmic entities have distinct vulnerabilities, such as: Superman's weaknesses to magic, kryptonite, and red sunlight; Green Lantern's initial problems with wood or the color yellow (which have since been largely overcome); or Batman's lack of superhuman powers, which he supplements with keen intellect, constant training, and specialized technology.


title: DC Universe

text: Superheroes are generally accepted or even praised—Superman and the Flash actually having museums dedicated to them—by the general public, though some individuals have decided that "the metahumans" must be dealt with less passively. Thus, an organization called "the Dome" was formed to help superheroes who needed to fight crime across international borders; the superhero group called the Global Guardians were their main agents. However the Dome eventually lost out, as its United Nations backing went to the more famous Justice League. In general, DC Comics has led a parody of its own teams and organizations after the "Watchmen" storyline and the Batman run from a dark humor style which began during the 1980s and ended in the early 90s. Superhero teams such as the Doom Patrol and Justice League International led the writers to have a more subtle approach of semiotic dark humor with its own version of over-powered egos dominating personalities.


title: DC Universe

text: The American government has had a more wary approach, however. Back during World War II they started "Project M" to create experimental soldiers to fight in the war, such as the Creature Commandos. Most of these experiments remain a secret to the public. Currently, the government deals with metahumans and similar beings through its Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), and more recently A.R.G.U.S. Covertly, they use an organization of costumed (but non-superhuman) agents known as "Checkmate". The government also formed Task Force X (known as the "Suicide Squad") for "black ops". Most members have been captured supervillains (and thus expendable), and were strongly "encouraged" to join (often with offerings of clemency if they survived their extremely dangerous missions).


title: DC Universe

text: Outcast personalities are often relegated to the world of DCU supervillainry. They are then usually well versed in heists, kidnappings and robberies. Villains with meek powers contrive schemes of extraordinary complexity, yet—because of their simple talents—they only call the attention of powerless superheroes like Batman, or lesser superheroes like Booster Gold. When caught, any prison sufficient to contain these villains is suitable. More powerful villains strive to contest for greater goals like world domination and/or universal acclaim (from the public and their villainous peers). Usually more powerful enemies are imprisoned in maximum-level facilities—such as Belle Reve Penitentiary (which also was secretly Task Force X's headquarters) and even alternate dimensions or outer space—because they cannot simply be killed by a bullet, electricity, or poison.


title: DC Universe

text: Supervillains sometimes also form their own groups, but these tend to be short-lived because most villains simply do not trust each other. Most such teams are formed by a charismatic and/or fearsome criminal mastermind for specific purposes; an example is the Secret Society of Super Villains of which there have been several versions. Most villain teams are usually small, having been formed of individuals who know each other personally, such as the Central City Rogues, or have some other reason to work together (mercenary groups like the H.I.V.E., fanatical cults such as Kobra, etc.).


title: DC Universe

text: Technology more advanced than that which currently exists in real life is available - but it is usually very expensive, and usually only rich or powerful individuals and organizations (or the scientific geniuses who create them) have access to them. S.T.A.R. Labs is an independent research outfit that often develops these devices, while Lexcorp is the main company selling them. The government also runs the secret Project Cadmus (located in the mountains near Metropolis) to develop clones and genetic manipulation without the public's knowledge. Technology can also come from outer space or different timelines. Apokolips weaponry is often sold in Metropolis to the criminal organization known as Intergang.


title: DC Universe

text: Robots and similar creations, including cyborgs, can have superior intelligence when they are created as sentient beings. The Manhunters, the Metal Men, Red Tornado, Robotman, Hourman, and Metallo are but a few examples. These 'beings' are most often created by individuals who possess vast intellects, like scientists Professor T.O. Morrow (maker of the Red Tornado), Dr. Will Magnus (who constructed the Metal Men) and Professor Ivo (who fabricated Amazo and other advanced androids using a form of Nano-technology developed by Lexcorp). Brainiac also emulates this technology as well as technology from other worlds. Similarly, some characters use technology to enhance their armor or modify cybernetic functions, for example Steel, Cyborg and the Cyborg Superman.


title: DC Universe

text: There are a few intelligent races living on Earth that the public at large did not know about until recent times. Among these are the Amazons of Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall and the last survivors of Atlantis, who changed themselves into water-breathing forms, including the human-like Poseidonians and the mermaid-like Tritonians. Other species, such as Warworlders, were brief test subjects of Project Cadmus who fled to the Underworld below Metropolis. There is also a tribe of highly intelligent, telepathic gorillas living in Gorilla City, an invisible city hidden in Africa; this is the home of Gorilla Grodd.


title: DC Universe

text: Certain creatures created such as angelic beings, timeline driven entities, experimental deformities and dimension creatures are not considered hidden races because it is simply not included. However, it is only because most monsters play a less substantial role in the DC Universe. The plot-lines of Dinosaur Island and Skartaris are but a few examples of the experiments the DC universe contrives, yet its role in DC comics are played down when in comparison to other companies, therefore they are included as being a race from Earth. An easternized influence is more evident in most Marvel Comics literature, while DC Comics are exaggerated, under-influenced or sustained into the belief of comical parodies; e.g. the story-line of the alien, Monstergirl, and her affluent life-style as a teenage recluse who turns into a monster or the purpose of Asmodel, an angelic inter-dimensional being from a conceptual Heaven who comes to Earth. Therefore, these particular races are not considered hidden but alien and extra-dimensional (see "the following sections below" for reference).


title: DC Universe

text: There are many intelligent extraterrestrial races as well. Curiously, a large number of them are humanoid, even human-like, in form (such as Kryptonians, who outwardly appear identical to Earth-born humans); some can even interbreed with Terrans. Some of these races have natural superpowers, but they are usually the same for all individuals of the same race, unlike Earth's metahumans. This was explained by the fact that in Earth's distant past Martians experimented on humanity, severely culling the metahuman potential; this means that a species that was meant to have a wide range of powers, like Tamaranians or Kryptonians, ended up "just...human". However, there are also plenty of nonhumanoid races.


title: DC Universe

text: The DC Universe has had many natural and cosmic disasters happen to their alien civilizations. The Martians were destroyed by war, the Kryptonians by a dying planet that exploded, and the Czarnians by a plague. Even the Almeracian Empire was victim to impending destruction by Imperiex.


title: DC Universe

text: Order is kept around the galaxy by the Guardians of the Universe and their agents, the Green Lantern Corps. Rival peacekeeping organizations include the Darkstars (created by the Guardians' rivals, the Controllers) and the interplanetary mercenary organization L.E.G.I.O.N. Criminal organizations include the Manhunters, the Spider Guild and the Dark Circle.


title: DC Universe

text: Most aliens are from different planets, who have a source of origin near the Solar System and in the Milky Way Galaxy, although, unlike the Marvel Universe, alien colonies are common within the solar system. The Dominators are an imperialistic race of terrorist aliens who control most of the unknown cosmos in order to extract genetic resources from planets. The caste is also collectively known as the Dominion. Other aliens in the outlying galaxies control armadas like the Khunds, Gordanians, Thanagarians, Spider Guild and, most recently, the Reach. Even though the majority of the DC Universe is policed by the Green Lantern Corps, and later the United Planets, most rogue races strive to conquer the known universe.


title: DC Universe

text: One oddity is the Vegan star system. Due to an arrangement with the Psions, the Guardians did not intervene in that system, allowing a cruel empire called "the Citadel" to govern there, until it was overthrown by the Omega Men.


title: DC Universe

text: The Presence is the God of the DC Universe; he created all reality. He is also among the most powerful beings in Creation.


title: DC Universe

text: There are several lesser beings in the DC universe that possess god-like powers, through energy manipulation, magic ability, or technological advancement. Magic and the supernatural are often depicted as being real in the DC Universe, though some skeptics, such as Mister Terrific, maintain that there are scientific explanations to all such events. The narration of the mystic and harsh dark reality is more common in DC's Vertigo Comics because its stories lurk outside of superhero fantasy; the Vertigo series have beings that relate better to civilian life, although both universes are subject to fantastical realms and unworldly dimensions. Magic is too powerful in the physical world, where harnessing magic can distort and even destroy reality if not properly controlled (e.g., if a Lord of Order succumbs to certain events, so will a Lord of Chaos).


title: DC Universe

text: The DC Universe is composed of a number of different dimensional planes, most notably parallel Earths (see Multiverse), but the latter were eliminated when reality was altered by the Anti-Monitor (although stories featuring parallel Earths have continued to crop up with various rationalizations in the following years). Other types of dimensions still exist, however, including the Antimatter Universe of Qward, the Pax dimension, the Fifth Dimension and the Bleed. Prison dimensions, such as the Phantom Zone, are meant to house superpowered criminals who are too powerful for any conventional means of containment. Dimensions make up many universes, of which some are created and destroyed with help from supernatural forces and elements from which power is drawn. As well, certain dimensions function as crossover opportunities for heroes from different comic book companies to interact, either from competing companies, or from companies absorbed by competitors. The most notable example of the first kind of crossover has been between DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and the latter with Wildstorm Comics. An example of the latter kind of crossover would be DC's acquisition of Fawcett Comics, Quality Comics, and Charlton Comics and the absorption into the DC continuity of the original Captain Marvel, Plastic Man and Captain Atom. In this way, heroes originally published by different companies are now part of the same fictional universe, and interactions between such characters are no longer considered intercompany crossovers.


title: DC Universe

text: Additionally, the Marvel Comics Universe is also said to exist in the DC Universe as one of the many alternative universes. The reverse may also be said with respect to the Marvel Universe. This is one method of explaining the various crossover stories co-published by the two companies.


title: DC Universe

text: Heaven and Hell exist in the DC Universe but may not exist in the same continuum. Versions vary from the Vertigo and DC Universe series with writers of the Vertigo Universe depicting them in relation to religion and mythology while the writers in the DCU have a tendency to narrate fantasy.


title: DC Universe

text: The Speed Force is an extradimensional energy source which provides the speedsters of the DC Universe with their powers. Accessing the Speed Force makes it possible to run at incredible speeds, even faster than light, and even to jump in and out of the timestream, thereby travelling - albeit with a limited degree of control - through time. The Speed Force also acts as a kind of Valhalla for deceased speedsters. "" reveals that Barry Allen is a living generator of the Speed Force ever since the accident that transformed him into the Flash.


title: DC Universe

text: It is possible to travel in time in this universe by several means, including moving faster than the speed of light. The Legion of Super-Heroes from 1,000 years into the future in particular have access to time-travel technology (although the threeboot Legion lacks time travel technology) while Rip Hunter is the present day authority of the technology. Originally, it was impossible to change the past, or to exist in two places at the same time (a time traveler appearing in an era where they already existed would become an ineffectual, invisible phantom while there). However that was all changed after the Anti-Monitor tried to change history at the beginning of time during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Also, a number of alternate realities-known as Hypertime-now exist. A group calling itself the Linear Men formed to prevent anyone from changing history. In addition, an enormously powerful being called the Time Trapper, an enemy of the Legion, has been known to manipulate the timestream, even creating "pocket universes".


title: Big Three (management consultancies)

text: The Big Three or MBB refers to the name colloquially given to the three large strategy consulting firms. They are considered to be the most prestigious firms in the management consulting industry. In terms of employees, McKinsey & Company is the largest and leads by revenue; followed by Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company.


title: Big Three (management consultancies)

text: The three consulting firms widely regarded as constituting the Big Three or MBB are McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company and Boston Consulting Group.


title: Big Three (management consultancies)

text: These three firms are among the world's largest strategy consulting firms by revenue. Their latest publicly available data is summarized in the table below:


title: Big Three (management consultancies)

text: This firm was founded in Chicago by James O. McKinsey in 1926. The firm has grown significantly since then, establishing 104 offices located in 60 countries as of 2014. McKinsey & Company has been voted number one in "The Best Consulting Firms: Prestige" list of the Vault.com career intelligence website consecutively for 14 years since 2002. The firm currently serves two-thirds of the Fortune 1000. Their areas of expertise include management, organization, operations and IT.


title: Big Three (management consultancies)

text: BCG was founded in 1963 by Bruce D. Henderson, a former Arthur D. Little consultant and a Vanderbilt University and Harvard Business School alumnus. Starting out with only two consultants, the firm quickly grew. As of 2021, it employs 25,000 people in over 90 offices in more than 50 countries. BCG also has been consistently featured in "Consulting" magazine's "Best Firms to Work For" lists since 2001. Their areas of expertise include corporate development, business growth and innovation.


title: Big Three (management consultancies)

text: Bain was founded by Bill Bain in 1973 after leaving BCG. The firm pioneered private equity consulting and the fund Bain Capital was founded by partners from Bain & Company and led by Mitt Romney. It currently has 65 offices in 40 countries. Their areas of expertise include private equity, mergers and acquisitions and retail. Bridgespan, a non-profit consultancy, was spun out of Bain in the early 2000s by three former Bain employees. The firm has been ranked multiple times as one of the "Best Places to Work" by Glassdoor, and has placed in the top five for the last decade.


title: Juche

text: Juche ( ; ), officially the "Juche" idea (), is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il-sung, the country's founder and first leader. "Juche" was originally regarded as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until Kim Jong-il, Kim Il-sung's son and successor, declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong-il further developed "Juche" in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing the importance of his father's ideas.


title: Juche

text: "Juche" incorporates the historical materialist ideas of Marxism–Leninism but also strongly emphasizes the individual, the nation state, and national sovereignty. "Juche" posits that a country will prosper once it has become self-reliant by achieving political, economic, and military independence. As Kim Jong-il emerged as Kim Il-sung's likely successor in the 1970s, loyalty to the leader was increasingly emphasized as an essential part of "Juche", as expressed in the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System.


title: Juche

text: "Juche" has been variously described by critics as a quasi-religion, a nationalist ideology, and a deviation from Marxism–Leninism.


title: Juche

text: "Juche" comes from the Sino-Japanese word (modern spelling: ), whose Japanese reading is "shutai". The word was coined in 1887 to translate the concept of "" in German philosophy (subject, meaning "the entity perceiving or acting upon an object or environment") into Japanese. The word migrated to the Korean language at around the turn of the century and retained this meaning. "Shutai" went on to appear in Japanese translations of Karl Marx's writings. North Korean editions of Marx used the word "Juche" even before the word was attributed to Kim Il-sung in its supposedly novel meaning in 1955.


title: Juche

text: In contemporary political discourse on North Korea, "Juche" has a connotation of "self-reliance", "autonomy", and "independence". It is often defined in opposition to the Korean concept of "Sadae", or reliance on the great powers. South Koreans use the word without reference to the North Korean ideology.


title: Juche

text: The ideology is officially known as "Juche sasang" () in Korean and the "Juche" idea in English. "Juche sasang" literally means "subject idea" and has also been translated as "Juche" thought or Jucheism. Adherents of "Juche" are sometimes referred to as "Jucheists".


title: Juche

text: Official statements by the North Korean government attribute the origin of "Juche" to Kim Il-sung's experiences in the Down-with-Imperialism Union during Korea's liberation struggle against Japan. However, the first documented reference to "Juche" as an ideology did not appear until 1955, when Kim Il-sung delivered a speech entitled "On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing "Juche" in Ideological Work". The speech had been delivered to promote a political purge similar to the earlier Yan'an Rectification Movement in China. It later became known as the ""Juche" speech" and is considered one of Kim Il-sung's most important works.


title: Juche

text: Western scholars generally agree that Hwang Jang-yop, Kim Il-sung's top adviser on philosophy, was the actual person responsible for the conceptualization and early development of "Juche". Hwang rediscovered the "Juche" speech sometime in the late 1950s, when Kim Il-sung, having established a cult of personality, sought to develop his own version of Marxism–Leninism and solidify his position within the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Hwang subsequently expanded upon the meaning of "Juche" and rewrote Korean communist history to make it appear as though Kim Il-sung had been the WPK's leader since its inception. Andrei Lankov, a Russian scholar of Korean studies, argues that the first reference to "Juche" as an ideology did not come until 14 April 1965, when Kim Il-sung gave a speech in Indonesia entitled "On Socialist Construction in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the South Korean Revolution". Lankov posits that the 1955 speech "used the word in a different meaning" and that "Juche" was not adopted as the "basic ideological principle of North Korean politics" until after the 1965 speech.


title: Juche

text: "On the Juche Idea", the principal work on "Juche", was published under Kim Jong-il's name in 1982. In North Korea it serves as "the authoritative and comprehensive explanation of "Juche"". According to the treatise, the WPK is responsible for educating the masses in the ways of "Juche" thinking. "Juche" is inexorably linked with Kim Il-sung and "represents the guiding idea of the Korean revolution". Although "Juche" has its roots in Marxism–Leninism, it is not merely a creative application of the ideas of Marx and Lenin to Korean conditions. Rather, it is a "new phase of revolutionary theory" and represents "a new era in the development of human history". Kim Jong-il also criticized the Korean communists and nationalists of the 1920s for their "elitist posture", claiming that they were "divorced from the masses".


title: Juche

text: The North Korean government issued a decree on 8 July 1997, the third anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung, declaring the adoption of the "Juche" calendar. The subsequently promulgated regulations regarding its use in August 1997, and the calendar entered public usage on 9 September 1997, the Day of the Foundation of the Republic. Gregorian calendar dates are used for years before 1912 while years from 1912 (the year of Kim Il-sung's birth) onwards are described as ""Juche" years". The Gregorian year 2022, for example, is ""Juche" 2022 − 1911" as 2022 − 1911 = 2022 − 1911. When used, ""Juche" years" are often accompanied by the Gregorian equivalent, i.e. ""Juche" 2022 − 1911, 2022" or ""Juche" 2022 − 1911 (2022)".


title: Juche

text: The goal of "Juche" is to establish a self-reliant state which independently determines its political, economic, and military affairs. Kim Il-sung summarized the application of this objective to North Korea in a 1967 speech to the Supreme People's Assembly entitled "Let Us Embody the Revolutionary Spirit of Independence, Self-sustenance and Self-defence More Thoroughly in All Fields of State Activity":


title: Juche

text: Political independence () is a core principle of "Juche". "Juche" stresses equality and mutual respect among nations, asserting that every state has the right to self-determination. Yielding to foreign pressure or intervention would violate the principle of political independence and threaten a country's ability to defend its sovereignty. However, "Juche" does not advocate total isolation and encourages cooperation between socialist states. As Kim Jong-il summarizes in his work "On the Juche Idea": "Independence is not in conflict with internationalism but is the basis of its strengthening". Kim Il-sung acknowledged that it was important for North Korea to learn from other socialist states, particularly the Soviet Union and China, but he did not want to follow their examples dogmatically. In this regard, Kim Il-sung said that the WPK needed to "resolutely repudiate the tendency to swallow things of others undigested or imitate them mechanically", attributing the early success of North Korea to the WPK's independence in policymaking.


title: Juche

text: Economic self-sufficiency () is required to achieve political independence, according to adherents of "Juche". Kim Il-sung believed that excessive foreign aid threatened a country's ability to develop socialism, which only a state with a strong, independent economy could build. In his work "On the Juche Idea", Kim Jong-il argued that a state can only achieve economic self-sufficiency once it has created an "independent national economy" based on heavy industry, as this sector would theoretically drive the rest of the economy. Kim Jong-il also emphasized the importance of technological independence and self-sufficiency in resources. However, he stated that this did not rule out "economic cooperation" between socialist states.


title: Juche

text: Military self-reliance () is also crucial for a state to maintain its political independence. To accomplish military self-reliance, states must develop a domestic defence industry to avoid dependence on foreign arms suppliers. Kim Jong-il argued that it was acceptable for socialist states to receive military aid from their allies, but such aid would only be effective if the state is militarily strong in its own right.


title: Juche

text: North Korea maintained close relations with the Soviet Union and China during the Cold War, having emerged from Soviet occupation and a war which it fought alongside Chinese communists. However, North Korea also opposed what it viewed as Soviet and Chinese attempts to interfere in its post-war affairs. For example, a failed challenge against Kim Il-sung's leadership in 1956 led to the purge of both pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese elements from the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. Although North Korea rejected the de-Stalinization efforts of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, it avoided taking sides during the Sino-Soviet split.


title: Juche

text: North Korea was admitted to the Non-Aligned Movement in 1975 and has since presented itself as a leader of the Third World, promoting "Juche" as a model for developing countries to follow.


title: Juche

text: National survival has been seen as a guiding principle of North Korea's diplomatic strategy. As countries in the Eastern Bloc collapsed and introduced market reforms, North Korea increasingly emphasized "Juche" in both theory and practice. Even in the midst of economic and political crises, North Korea continues to emphasize its independence on the world stage.


title: Juche

text: After the devastation of the Korean War, North Korea began to rebuild its economy with a base in heavy industry, with the aim of becoming as self-sufficient as possible. As a result, North Korea developed what has been called the "most autarkic industrial economy in the world". North Korea received a lot of economic aid and technical assistance from the Soviet Union and China, but it did not join Comecon, the communist common market. In the 1990s, it had one of the world's lowest rates for dependence on petroleum, using hydroelectric power and coal instead of imported oil. Its textile industry uses vinylon, known as the ""Juche" fiber", which was invented by a Korean and which is made from locally available coal and limestone. The history of the development of vinylon often featured in propaganda that preached the virtues of technological self-reliance. North Korea had 10,000 CNC machines in 2010. The first domestic homemade CNC machine was introduced in 1995 and in 2017 it has around 15,000 machines.


title: Juche

text: Commentators have often pointed out the discrepancy between the principle of self-sufficiency and North Korea's dependence on foreign aid, especially during its economic crisis in the 1990s. The pursuit of economic autarky has been blamed for contributing to the crisis. On this view, attempts at self-sufficiency led to inefficiency and to the neglect of export opportunities in industries where there was a comparative advantage.


title: Juche

text: The Korean People's Army is one of the largest on earth and has developed its own nuclear missiles. It produces UDMH fuel for liquid fuelled missiles and Tumansky RD-9 Turbojet engines, which power the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 and Shenyang J-6. CNC machines are used for production of missiles and centrifuges. North Korea's propaganda since the Korean War has contrasted its military autonomy with the presence of U.S. forces in the South.


title: Juche

text: Kim Il-sung believed that "Juche" principles could be applied around the world, not just in Korea. North Korea has organized international seminars on "Juche" since 1976. The International Scientific Seminar on the "Juche" Idea took place in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from 28 to 30 September 1976 under the sponsorship of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar. Many prominent party and government officials, public figures, representatives of revolutionary and progressive organizations, scientists and journalists from more than fifty countries attended. Malagasy President Didier Ratsiraka expressed strong sympathies and support for North Korea. An excerpt from the opening speech says:


title: Juche

text: The North Korean government established the International Institute of the "Juche" Idea (initially the International "Juche" Research Centre) in Tokyo in 1978 in order to supervise the activities of international "Juche" study groups. Tribute plaques from these groups are contained in the "Juche" Tower in Pyongyang. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Black Panther Party of the United States studied "Juche". In 2016, the Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party declared "Juche" its guiding idea.


title: Juche

text: A number of scholars have described "Juche" as a quasi-religion and compared its facets to those of pre-existing religions in Korea. Jung Tae-il argues that certain elements of Christianity, Cheondoism, and Confucianism were appropriated by and incorporated into "Juche". Korean cultural anthropologists Byung Ho Chung and Heonik Kwon liken the commemorations of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il to Confucian ancestor worship. Ju Jun-hui similarly contends that Korean shamanism also influenced the development of "Juche", comparing the ecstatic state experienced in a shamanic ritual ("gut") to the enthusiasm and fervor displayed by North Koreans for their supreme leader. Many scholars have also pointed to the presence of a sacred leader, rituals, and familism as tenets of "Juche" that make it religious-like.


title: Juche

text: The ideology teaches that the role of a Great Leader is essential for the popular masses to succeed in their revolutionary movement because without leadership they are unable to survive. This is the foundation of the personality cult directed at Kim Il-sung. The personality cult explains how the "Juche" ideology has been able to endure until today, even during the North Korean government's undeniable dependence on foreign assistance during its famine in the 1990s. The concept of a "sacred leader" in "Juche" as well as the cult around the Kim family has been compared to the State Shinto ideology of Imperial Japan in which the Emperor was seen as a divine being.


title: Juche

text: Through the fundamental belief in the essential role of the Great Leader, the former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung has become the "supreme deity for the people" and the "Juche" doctrine is reinforced in North Korea's constitution as the country's guiding principle. The parallel relationship structure between Kim Il-sung and his people to religious founders or leaders and their followers has led many scholars to consider "Juche" a religious movement as much as a political ideology. However, those familiar with cults would again posit that "Juche" bypasses the tenets of religion completely and instead meets the criteria of a totalitarian cult.


title: Juche

text: "Juche" emphasis on the political and sacred role of the leader and the ensuing worshipping by the popular masses has been critiqued by various Western Marxist intellectuals. They argue that the North Korean working class or the proletariat has been stripped of their honour and therefore call the cult of personality non-Marxist and non-democratic.


title: Juche

text: The religious behaviour of "Juche" can also be seen in the perspectives of the North Korean people through refugee interviews from former participants in North Korea's ritual occasions. One pertinent example is the Arirang Festival, which is a gymnastics and artistic festival held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang. All components of the festival, from the selection of performers, mobilization of resources, recruitment of the audience and publicity for the show have been compared to facets of a national religious event.


title: Juche

text: The Arirang Festival has been described to demonstrate the power of the North Korean government to arrange a form of religious gathering. It has done so by "appropriating a mass of bodies for calisthenic and performative arts representing the leader as the father and his faithful followers". The festival's effectiveness in transforming its participants into loyal disciples of "Juche" seems to originate from the collectivist principle of "one for all and all for one" and the ensuing emotional bond and loyalty to the leader. According to the accounts of refugees who have been recruited to mass gymnastics, the collectivist principle has been nurtured through physical punishment such as beatings and more importantly the organization of recruits into small units, whose performances were held accountable by larger units. The festival's ritual components of collectivism serve to reinforce a "certain structure of sociality and affect", establishing Kim Il-sung as the "father" in both the body and psyche of the performers.


title: Juche

text: American historian Charles K. Armstrong argues that familism has transformed itself into a kind of political religion in the form of "Juche". With the emergence of "Juche" as North Korea's guiding political principle since the 1960s, the familial relationship within the micro-family unit has been translated into a national, macro-unit with Kim Il-sung representing the father figure and the North Korean people representing his children. "Juche" is thus based on the language of family relationships with its East Asian or neo-Confucian "resonances of filial piety and maternal love".


title: Juche

text: Armstrong also notes that North Korea has actually transferred the "filial piety of nationalism in the family of the leader himself" by positioning Kim Il-sung as the universal patriarch. He argues that while the official pursuit of the "Juche" ideology in the 1960s signalled North Korea's desire to separate from the "fraternity of international socialism", the ideology also replaced Stalin as the father figure with Kim Il-sung. In effect, North Korea's familial nationalism has supplanted the "rather abstract, class-oriented language of socialism with a more easily understandable and identifiable language of familial connections, love and obligations".


title: Juche

text: After attaining significant positions in the WPK and military in the early 1980s, Kim Jong-il transformed the personality cult surrounding Kim Il-sung into a family cult and became the heir apparent. Armstrong calls this a "family romance", which is a term Freud had used to describe "the neurotic replacement of a child's real parents with fantasy substitutes". Kim Il-sung's consecration as the "Great Father" has been strengthened by the development of the North Korean family romance with the language, symbols, and rituals associated with familism.


title: Juche

text: "Juche" has been described by critics as a nationalist ideology and a departure from Marxist–Leninist principles. B. R. Myers, Michael J. Seth, and Max Fisher go further and argue that "Juche" has more in common with Japanese fascism and ultranationalism than Marxism–Leninism. Korean political scientist Suh Dae-sook argues that Kim Il-sung failed to explain the difference between socialist patriotism, which Kim Il-sung stated that he supported, and nationalism, which Kim Il-sung stated that he opposed. Suh also criticized Kim Il-sung's initial conceptualization of "Juche", saying that he had failed to explain how Marxism–Leninism had been applied to Korean conditions. American historian Derek R. Ford, by contrast, emphasizes the continuity between Marxism–Leninism and "Juche", and credits "Juche" as the unique guiding principle which allowed North Korea to survive the collapse of the Eastern Bloc.


title: Juche

text: American historian Charles K. Armstrong argues that North Korea may appear "Stalinist in form" but is "nationalist in content". Shin Gi-wook similarly argues that "there is no trace of Marxism–Leninism or the Stalinist notion of nationhood" in North Korea, and its government instead stresses the importance of the Korean people's blood, soul, and national traits, echoing earlier Korean nationalists such as Sin Chaeho, Yi Kwangsu and Choe Namson. Shin believes that the key difference between Marxism–Leninism and "Juche" is that the latter places the primacy of ideology over materialism; the vocabulary of family lineage and nationalism is retained and given primacy over class struggle, while social distinction and hierarchy are supported instead of a classless society and egalitarianism.


title: Juche

text: A few critics have dismissed the notion that "Juche" is an ideology altogether. Myers argues that "Juche" cannot be described as a true political ideology because it does not have an underlying belief system, while Alzo David-West describes it as "meaningless on logical and naturalistic grounds". American political analyst Robert E. Kelly argues that "Juche" exists solely to protect the Kim family's monopoly over political power in North Korea. However, Myers dismisses the idea that "Juche" is North Korea's leading ideology, regarding its public exaltation as being designed to deceive foreigners. He argues that it exists to be praised and not actually read. Based on his own experiences living in North Korea, Swiss businessman Felix Abt describes Myers' arguments as "shaky" and "questionable". Having seen the extent to which North Korean university students actually believe in "Juche", Abt says it is "rather absurd" to describe the ideology as "window-dressing" for foreigners. American historian Bruce Cumings and Professor of International Relations Christoph Bluth similarly argue that "Juche" is not mere rhetoric, but rather an ideal of self-reliance that North Korea has attempted to put into practice.


title: Juche

text: Unlike the Joseon dynasty, where there was a huge gap between the upper and lower classes, North Korea adopted the concept of a gathered-together "people". Instead of a strict social hierarchy, North Korea divided the nation into three classesthe industrial workers, the peasants, and the "samuwon" ()where each are considered to be as important as the others. The "samuwon" class consists intelligentsia and petite bourgeoisie, such as clerks, small traders, bureaucrats, professors and writers. This class is unique to North Korean class analysis and was conceptualized to increase education and literacy among the country's population.


title: Juche

text: Normally, Marxist–Leninist states would value only the farmers or labourers, thus in the Soviet Union the intelligentsia was not defined as an independent class of its own, but rather as a "social stratum" that recruited itself from members of almost all classes: proletariat, petite bourgeoisie and bourgeoisie. However, a "peasant intelligentsia" was never mentioned. Correspondingly, the "proletarian intelligentsia" was exalted for bringing forth progressive scientists and communist theoreticians whereas the "bourgeois intelligentsia" was condemned for producing "bourgeois ideology", which were all non-Marxist–Leninist worldviews.


title: Juche

text: North Koreans believed in rapid industrialization through labour and in subjecting nature to human will. By restructuring social classes into a mass of people who are all theoretically equal, the North Korean government claimed it would be able to attain self-reliance in upcoming years. However, this assertion has been questioned by foreign observers because the country suffers massive food shortages annually and is heavily dependent on foreign aid.


title: Juche

text: Socialism of Our Style, also referred to as Korean-style socialism and our-style socialism within North Korea, is an ideological concept Kim Jong-il introduced on 27 December 1990 in the speech "Socialism of Our Country is a Socialism of Our Style as Embodied by the "Juche" idea". Speaking after the Revolutions of 1989 that brought down the Eastern Bloc countries, Kim Jong-il explicitly stated that North Korea neededand survived because ofSocialism of Our Style. He argued that socialism in Eastern Europe failed because they "imitated the Soviet experience in a mechanical manner". According to Kim, they failed to understand that the Soviet experience was based on specific historical and social circumstances and could not be used by other countries aside from the Soviet Union itself. He added that "if experience is considered absolute and accepted dogmatically it is impossible to build Socialism properly, as the times change and the specific situation of each country is different from another". Kim Jong-il went on to criticize "dogmatic application" of Marxism–Leninism, stating:


title: Juche

text: North Korea would not encounter such difficulties because of the conceiving of "Juche". In his words, North Korea was "a backward, colonial semifeudal society" when the communists took over, but since the North Korean communists did not accept Marxism, which was based on European experiences with capitalism, or Leninism, which was based on Russia's experience, they conceived of "Juche". He believed the situation in North Korea was more complex because of the nearby American presence in South Korea. Thanks to Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il argued, the revolution had "put forward original lines and policies suited to our people's aspirations and the specific situation of our country". "The "Juche" idea is a revolutionary theory which occupies the highest stage of development of the revolutionary ideology of the working class", Kim Jong-il said, further stating that the originality and superiority of the "Juche" idea defined and strengthened Korean socialism. He then conceded by stating that Socialism of Our Style was "a man-centered Socialism", explicitly making a break with basic Marxist–Leninist thought, which argues that material forces are the driving force of historical progress, not people. Socialism of Our Style was presented as an organic sociopolitical theory, using the language of Marxism–Leninism, saying:


title: Juche

text: "Songun" () was first mentioned on 7 April 1997 in "Rodong Sinmun" under the headline "There Is a Victory for Socialism in the Guns and Bombs of the People's Army". It defined the military-centered thinking of the time by stating; "the revolutionary philosophy to safeguard our own style of socialism under any circumstances". The concept was credited to "Respected General Kim Jong-il".


title: Juche

text: In a joint editorial on 16 June 1998 entitled "Our Party's Military-First Politics Will Inevitably Achieve Victory and Will Never Be Defeated" by "Kulloja" (the WPK's theoretical magazine) and "Rodong Sinmun", it was stated that "Songun" meant "the leadership method under the principle of giving priority to the military and resolving the problems that may occur in the course of revolution and construction as well as establishing the military as the main body of the revolution in the course of achieving the total tasks of socialism". While the article often referred to "our Party", this was not a reference to the WPK but rather to the personal leadership of Kim Jong-il.


title: Juche

text: On 5 September 1998, the North Korean Constitution was revised and it made clear that the National Defence Commission, the highest military body, was the supreme body of the state. This date is considered the beginning of the "Songun" era.


title: Juche

text: Kimilsungism () and the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System were formally introduced by Kim Jong-il in 1974. Kim Jong-il reportedly did so to strengthen his position within the Workers' Party of Korea, taking advantage of his father's political supremacy. Kimilsungism refers to the ideas of Kim Il-sung, while the Ten Principles serve as a guide for North Korean political and social life. Kim Jong-il argued that his father's ideas had evolved and they therefore deserved their own distinct name. North Korean state media had previously described Kim Il-sung's ideas as "contemporary Marxism–Leninism"; by calling them "Kimilsungism", Kim Jong-il sought to elevate the ideas of his father to the same level of prestige as Stalinism and Maoism. Not long after the introduction of "Kimilsungism" into the North Korean lexicon, Kim Jong-il began calling for a "Kimilsungist transformation" of North Korean society.


title: Juche

text: Political analyst Lim Jae-cheon argues that there is no discernible difference between Kimilsungism and "Juche", and that the two terms are interchangeable. However, in his 1976 speech "On Correctly Understanding the Originality of Kimilsungism", Kim Jong-il said that Kimilsungism comprises the ""Juche" idea and a far-reaching revolutionary theory and leadership method evolved from this idea". He further added that "Kimilsungism is an original idea that cannot be explained within the frameworks of Marxism–Leninism. The "Juche" idea, which constitutes the quintessence of Kimilsungism, is an idea newly discovered in the history of mankind". Kim Jong-il went further, stating that Marxism–Leninism had become obsolete and must be replaced by Kimilsungism:


title: Juche

text: According to analyst Shin Gi-wook, the ideas of "Juche" and Kimilsungism are in essence the "expressions of North Korean particularism over supposedly more universalistic Marxism–Leninism". The new terminology signalled a move from socialism to nationalism. This was evident in a speech presented by Kim Jong-il in 1982, during celebrations of his father's 70th birthday, in which he stated that love for the nation came before love for socialism. This particularism gave birth to such concepts as "A Theory of the Korean Nation as Number One and Socialism of Our Style".


title: Juche

text: Following the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011, Kimilsungism became Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism () at the 4th Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea in April 2012. Party members at the conference also stated that the WPK was "the party of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il" and declared Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism "the only guiding idea of the party". Afterwards, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that "the Korean people have long called the revolutionary policies ideas of the President [Kim Il-sung] and Kim Jong-il as Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism and recognized it as the guiding of the nation". Kim Jong-un, the son of Kim Jong-il who succeeded him as leader of the WPK, said:


title: Juche

text: As early as 2018, but mostly in November 2021, reports began to arise in South Korea, the UK, and the US that Kim Jong-un was in the process his own offshoot-ideology named "Kimjongunism" () and ordering government officials to begin to use it. Many see Kim's actions as defining his own legacy, such as appointing himself general secretary of the Worker's Party (a title previously reserved as a posthumous designation for Kim Jong-il) and removing some paintings of the two elder supreme leaders. Core to some views of "Kimjongunism" include a more defensive outlook on the United States' on both North Korea and Kim Jong-un himself, which has included an increased emphasis on North Korea's nuclear weapons program.


title: Hair

text: Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.


title: Hair

text: The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair. Most common interest in hair is focused on hair growth, hair types, and hair care, but hair is also an important biomaterial primarily composed of protein, notably alpha-keratin.


title: Hair

text: Attitudes towards different forms of hair, such as hairstyles and hair removal, vary widely across different cultures and historical periods, but it is often used to indicate a person's personal beliefs or social position, such as their age, sex, or religion.


title: Hair

text: Each strand of hair is made up of the medulla, cortex, and cuticle. The innermost region, the medulla, is an open and unstructured region which is not always present. The highly structural and organized cortex, or second of three layers of the hair, is the primary source of mechanical strength and water uptake. The cortex contains melanin, which colors the fiber based on the number, distribution and types of melanin granules. The shape of the follicle determines the shape of the cortex, and the shape of the fiber is related to how straight or curly the hair is. People with straight hair have round hair fibers. Oval and other shaped fibers are generally more wavy or curly. The cuticle is the outer covering. Its complex structure slides as the hair swells and is covered with a single molecular layer of lipid that makes the hair repel water. The diameter of human hair varies from . There are roughly two million small, tubular glands and sweat glands that produce watery fluids that cool the body by evaporation. The glands at the opening of the hair produce a fatty secretion that lubricates the hair.


title: Hair

text: Hair growth begins inside the hair follicle. The only "living" portion of the hair is found in the follicle. The hair that is visible is the hair shaft, which exhibits no biochemical activity and is considered "dead". The base of a hair's root (the "bulb") contains the cells that produce the hair shaft. Other structures of the hair follicle include the oil producing sebaceous gland which lubricates the hair and the arrector pili muscles, which are responsible for causing hairs to stand up. In humans with little body hair, the effect results in goose bumps.


title: Hair

text: The "root of the hair" ends in an enlargement, the "hair bulb", which is whiter in color and softer in texture than the shaft and is lodged in a follicular involution of the epidermis called the hair follicle. The bulb of hair consists of fibrous connective tissue, glassy membrane, external root sheath, internal root sheath composed of epithelium stratum (Henle's layer) and granular stratum (Huxley's layer), cuticle, cortex and medulla.


title: Hair

text: All natural hair colors are the result of two types of hair pigments. Both of these pigments are melanin types, produced inside the hair follicle and packed into granules found in the fibers. Eumelanin is the dominant pigment in brown hair and black hair, while pheomelanin is dominant in red hair. Blond hair is the result of having little pigmentation in the hair strand. Gray hair occurs when melanin production decreases or stops, while poliosis is white hair (and often the skin to which the hair is attached), typically in spots that never possessed melanin at all, or ceased for natural reasons, generally genetic, in the first years of life.


title: Hair

text: Hair grows everywhere on the external body except for mucus membranes and glabrous skin, such as that found on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and lips.


title: Hair

text: Hair follows a specific growth cycle with three distinct and concurrent phases: anagen, catagen, and telogen phases; all three occur simultaneously throughout the body. Each has specific characteristics that determine the length of the hair.


title: Hair

text: The body has different types of hair, including vellus hair and androgenic hair, each with its own type of cellular construction. The different construction gives the hair unique characteristics, serving specific purposes, mainly, warmth and protection.


title: Hair

text: Hair exists in a variety of textures. Three main aspects of hair texture are the curl pattern, volume, and consistency. All mammalian hair is composed of keratin, so the make-up of hair follicles is not the source of varying hair patterns. There are a range of theories pertaining to the curl patterns of hair. Scientists have come to believe that the shape of the hair shaft has an effect on the curliness of the individual's hair. A very round shaft allows for fewer disulfide bonds to be present in the hair strand. This means the bonds present are directly in line with one another, resulting in straight hair.