THE JUCHE IDEA

SERIES 1. THE MISSION AND FUNDAMENTAL

QUESTION OF A PHILOSOPHY

The priority of order is inevitable in any job. Same is the case in studying the Juche philosophy. If you are to learn the Juche philosophy and apply it in your practical activities adequately, your first efforts must be directed to grasp the mission and fundamental question of a philosophy clarified scientifically by the Juche philosophy. Only then, can we have a correct understanding of the whole contents of the Juche philosophy, a philosophy centring on man, its originality and truth, and embody it substantially in any circumstances and conditions. Therefore, it is the first step for studying the Juche philosophy to learn the mission and fundamental question of a philosophy clarified by this philosophy.

1. What is the Mission of Philosophy

It is important to understand the mission of a philosophy correctly.

Any science, as a form of social consciousness, has its peculiar mission. If not, it would fail to have a clear object as a science and occupy an

independent position. Such science would be useless and wither naturally. The fact that philosophy has not declined for thousands of years but occupied its

independent position as a science and it has been studied by many people is

explained by its peculiar mission that any sciences can not have.

What, then, is the mission of a philosophy?

The question of the mission of philosophy is, in a nutshell, the question of its necessity and its ultimate object. The stand and attitude of people toward philosophical study depend on their view on the mission of a philosophy.

Therefore, studying the mission of philosophy is the first process for approaching philosophical study in a sincere attitude.

Only a correct understanding of the mission of philosophy will make it possible to study a philosophy with a correct direction and method corresponding to its mission.

In order to establish a scientific philosophical theory, it is necessary to set forth a correct philosophical task and find solutions to its fundamental question and other questions. It is only when you have a clear outline of the mission of a philosophy that you can find answers to all these questions. A correct understanding of its mission is inevitable to have a profound knowledge of all principles of the Juche philosophy and its originality and scientific, revolutionary and popular characters. It will also make it possible to give a scientific analysis of philosophical ideologies and theories on its basis.

In history, there have been many philosophical schools and scholars that suggested different kinds of philosophical ideologies. Among them, some were progressive and others reactionary. Understanding of the mission of philosophy enables one to sort out the progressive from the reactionary in such philosophies and see through their limitations.

A clear concept of its mission will make it possible to reveal reactionary, anti-popular and unscientific characters of bourgeois philosophies of various forms spread by the imperialists at present, to fight against them resolutely and to safeguard the purity of the Juche philosophy. A correct understanding of the mission of it a philosophy is so important.

The Juche philosophy gives a scientific clarification of the mission of philosophy.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"The basic mission of the philosophical outlook on the world is to show the way for man to shape his destiny."

To show the way for man to shape his destiny is precisely the basic mission of philosophy.

It is necessary to understand correctly the meaning of the philosophical term "destiny".

People use the word "destiny" in different meanings, "death" or "fate" of a man.

But the term "destiny" used in philosophy is different from such meanings.

It is used as a concept expressing situation and prospect of matters and phenomena. The destiny of man means the situation, life and death of a man and his development.

The mission of a philosophy is to show the way for man to shape his own destiny. In other words, the mission is to clarify the method for man to hew out his way to live freely and happily in the world free from exploitation and oppression.

Such understanding of the mission of philosophy is most scientific for it reflects the inherent demand of man.

Why?

Nothing is more important for man than shaping his own destiny. Everybody thinks about his own destiny and makes efforts to shape it. The aim of all cognitive and practical activities of man is to shape his own destiny. Man works and conducts socio-political, scientific and cultural activities to shape his destiny. There is no human activities which have nothing to do with the shaping of man's destiny.

Philosophy, too, is needed to shape man's destiny, Therefore, the fundamental mission of a philosophy is to show the basic way to shape man's destiny.

It is not only philosophy but also political science, economics, literature and linguistics that contribute to the shaping of man's destiny.

What is, then, the subject of study of philosophy. This means how philosophy shows the way for man to shape his destiny.

Some people say that a clarification of the subject of study of philosophy is enough, so an explanation of its mission is not necessary.

The mission and the subject of study are inseparably related with each other, but they are not the same thing.

The mission answers what the science is for, while the subject of study answers what to study. The mission is not clarified of its own accord only because the subject of study is clearly defined, and even if the subject of study is known, it does not mean that a science surely contributes to shaping man's destiny. For example, the subject of study of nuclear physics is the law of the motion of atoms. Although its subject of study is known, nuclear physics does not serve only for the shaping of man's destiny. The imperialists study modern physics to make the mass destruction weapons for the domination of the world, not to promote the well-being of mankind. Natural science does not assume a class character, but the activity of scientific research does in any case. So people say a science has no border, but a scientist has his or her motherland. Therefore, in order to make a science serve human being, its mission must coincide with its subject of study.

Then what is the difference between the subject of study of philosophy and that of an individual science?

Individual science studies a certain part or individual domain of the world as its subject of study and explains the law of motion that governs it thereby contributing to the shaping of man's destiny, whereas philosophy makes the world as a whole as its subject of study and serves to shape man's destiny by showing a viewpoint of and attitude toward the world and the law of changes and development of the world, namely the outlook on the world.

In a nutshell, showing the way for man to shape his destiny by establishing scientific world outlook is the basic mission of philosophy.

That the mission of philosophy has been shown scientifically by the Juche philosophy is of great significance.

Firstly, the philosophical thinking of man could have been directed to showing the way for man to shape his destiny.

Philosophies in the past dealt with the destiny of man. However, they failed to serve for the shaping of man's destiny.

Secondly, a criterion that distinguishes the progressive nature of philosophy from reactionary one became clear.

There are many sorts of philosophies in the world. The philosophy that contributes to shaping man's destiny is progressive, but the philosophy that hinders it is reactionary. No other criterion can exist in this question.

Here we have one thing to mention. Now some people say this or that about the "end of philosophy" while arguing that philosophy is useless.

It is said that in a certain capitalist country there are few philosophers among thousands of social scientists. Is it because philosophies no longer necessary for human life? No. Of course the philosophies like Scholastic, a sophism absolutely insignificant in human life, are not necessary. But it is a wrong view that philosophy as a whole has become unnecessary.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said that poverty of philosophy leads to poverty of thinking, which again leads to poverty of creation.

Man's activity without the philosophy that shows the way to shape man's destiny will surely come to a failure because of poverty of thinking and creation.

What a deplorable result was produced by the politics devoid of a scientific philosophy that has been shown in some countries where socialism was frustrated.

Arguing about the "end of philosophy" is only a sophism of reactionaries who are afraid that people become awakened by scientific and revolutionary philosophy which shows the way for man to shape his destiny.

We should clearly know the mission of philosophy and make efforts to master the Juche philosophy which shows the people the way to shape their destiny and apply it in practice.

2. What is the philosophical task of the Juche philosophy

A philosophical task is, in a nutshell, an important task that must be fulfilled by a philosophy to discharge its own mission.

On what principle a philosophy is explained and systematized, and whether or not it serves for showing the way to shape man's destiny, depends on what it sets forth as its task and how it carries it out. Therefore, if we are to establish a revolutionary, scientific and popular philosophy that illumines the way to shape man's destiny, we should establish a question clearly and find a correct solution to it.

What did the Marxist philosophy advance as its philosophical task?

Some people may argue that we do not mention philosophies before Marxism. As for the philosophical task it is not necessary to deal with such philosophies. It would be more correct to say that we cannot talk about them.

Philosophical task is suggested by the demand of people's practice to shape their own destiny, as a task of the time that must be carried out to satisfy such demand. But philosophies before Marxism served for the interests of exploiting class, not for showing the way to hew out man's destiny. Then, how such philosophies could suggest philosophical task reflecting the requirement of the time to hew out man's destiny. We can say that mentioning a philosophical task in their philosophies is equivalent to finding a rose in snowy field.

Then, did the philosophers before Marxism discuss philosophy without any goal?

Of course, they had a certain goal. (It can be said to be a task) However, it was not a task of the time to be carried out by a philosophy but a "task" suggested as they like by individual sections of philosophy or philosophers to speak for the interests of the exploiting class.

Philosophical task reflecting the demand of certain times was suggested for the first time by the Marxist philosophy.

Then, what did the Marxist philosophy set forth as its philosophical task?

As said by the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il, the Marxist philosophy considered it as its important philosophical task to clarify the essence of the material world and the law of its motion.

The philosophical task of the Marxist philosophy reflected the urgent demand of the working class's struggle to oppose the domination of the capital.

As a result of the emergence of the working class on the arena of history, a new era began. It was proved by the struggle of the working class to oppose exploitation and oppression by capital in many European countries.

The Chartist movement in Britain, riot of textile workers in Lyon, France and the struggle of textile workers in Schllesien, Germany in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century are the main examples.

A new historical condition of the revolution against capital urgently required a revolutionary idea that could awaken the working class with the idea that capitalism is destined to ruin and socialism is sure to win.

What was important here is to overcome idealism and metaphysics, which sanctified the domination of reactionary capital and preached its immortality, and to clarify the scientific world outlook of the working class.

Idealism that regarded everything in the world as a product of super-natural being sanctified the reactionary capitalist system as an ideal society, a society which was a product of such supernatural being. Metaphysics that regarded everything as immutable, preached the immortality of capitalism arguing that capitalist society can never be changed.

Only when idealism and metaphysics are destroyed and a scientific world outlook of the working class is established, was it possible to awaken the working class with the inevitability of the ruin of capitalism and the victory of socialism and to inspire them to turn out to the struggle against the capital with a firm conviction of victory.

The clarification of the essence of the material world and the law of its motion was suggested as the philosophical task to meet such a requirement of the time.

To solve this philosophical task the founders of Marxism analyzed comprehensively the classical German philosophy, especially the philosophies of Hegel and Feuerbach, and critically accepted the rational essence of those philosophies. They founded the materialistic and dialectical philosophy that the world is united with matter and continuously changes and develops. As a result, they fulfilled creditably the philosophical task required by the time.

Clarification of the essence of the material world and the law of its motion was the demand of the working class's struggle for social emancipation as well as the demand of the development of philosophy itself.

There continued for a long time the struggle between idealism and materialism, between metaphysics and dialectics among philosophers who spoke for the different demands of the exploiting class. Without reaching a scientific conclusion to this struggle, it was impossible to put philosophy on a scientific basis nor to further develop philosophical study.

Marxist classics ensured the victory of materialism and dialectics and founded the dialectical and materialistic philosophy. As a result, they put philosophy on a scientific basis and provided a premise for further developing philosophy.

This is the distinguished services rendered by the founders of Marxism in the history of philosophical development.

What is the philosophical task of the Juche philosophy?

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"The Marxist philosophy raised as its major task the clarification of the essence of the material world and the general law of its motion, whereas the Juche philosophy has raised as its important task the elucidation of man's essential characteristics and the law of social movement, man's movement."

To clarify the essential characteristics of man and the law peculiar to social movement is a necessary task that should be solved by philosophy to fulfil its mission of showing the way of hewing out man's destiny.

Of course, man should know the essence of the material world and the law of its motion to shape his destiny.

Man shapes his destiny in the material world. The material world is an object that should be recognized and reformed by man to shape his destiny. Therefore, man should know the essence of the material world and the general law of its motion in order to shape his destiny through cognition and transformation.

But such activity alone is not enough to shape his destiny. The cognition and transformation of the world is an undertaking for man and by man. Therefore, we say that the subject of cognition and practice is man.

Then, what should be solved to illuminate the way to hew out man's destiny?

If philosophy is to illuminate the way for man to hew out his destiny, it is imperative to know what kind of being a man is, the subject of cognition and practice.

When we say we know man it means that we know him not as material and biological being, but his essential characteristics as a social being fundamentally different from all other material beings.

Only when we know the essential characteristics of man, can we clarify the correct way for shaping man's destiny. Without knowing them, we cannot argue about the shaping of man's destiny.

If a correct way to shape man's destiny is to be shown, the law peculiar to social movement should be explained.

Social movement, a movement of man, has a peculiar law different from natural motion. There is no driving force in the natural motion, but there is in social movement. That is man.

Natural motion takes place spontaneously by the interaction of material elements that exist objectively, but social movement is caused and developed by the volitional action and role of man, its subject, and their purposeful activities.

Such social movement is governed by the law peculiar to it, which is different from that in natural motion.

In order to shape man's destiny, we should know the law peculiar to social movement. Without having to know it, any of social movement can not be successful. Neither the revolutionary movement to transform society nor the struggle to change nature would be impossible. Fighters of the Paris Commune fought bravely but failed, because they did not know the law of social movement, to be more precise, the law of revolutionary movement. They made strategical and tactical mistakes. They did not rally peasants around them nor did they pursue the reactionaries to annihilate them allowing no chance when they ran away to Versailess. That is because they did not know the law of revolutionary movement that they should rally the broad masses, strengthen the motive force of revolution and enhance its role, if they were to win victory in the revolution. So is the case of the failure in the struggle of textile workers in Lyon and Schllesien. Therefore, if philosophy is to teach the correct way of hewing out man's destiny, it should elucidate the law peculiar to social movement.

After all, it is no exaggeration to say that the main task of philosophy whose mission is to illuminate the way of hewing out man's destiny is to clarify essential characteristics of man and the peculiar law of social movement, man's movement.

Then, why did the previous philosophies fail to suggest such question as its major task?

Some people may think that the previous philosophies should have suggested the clarification of man's characteristics and the law of social movement as their task and strive to solve it, if it had been the task that should be solved to fulfil the basic mission of philosophy.

However, it is necessary to consider the question not only logically but also on historical principle. Though clarifying the essential characteristics of man and the law peculiar to social movement is an inevitable task of a philosophy for hewing out man's destiny we should not think that a solution to this task had been possible at any time and instead, due consideration should be paid to historical circumstances and conditions for its solution. Otherwise, we may make such subjective mistake as to think that a child without teeth can eat beans.

In the previous time, subjective and objective conditions (in terms of social practice and the development of philosophical thinking) had not matured for raising as philosophical task the question of clarifying man's essential characteristics and the inherent law of social movement.

Marx said that history always suggest only the task that could be fulfilled. Later, the founders of Marxism themselves said that at that time they could not pay attention to the question of man.

Then, what is the condition in which the Juche philosophy suggested this question as philosophical task?

It is because this question is raised as an urgent task of the time.

Unlike from the previous time, in our time the revolutionary struggle of people has been waged in a broad and diverse way on a worldwide scale. So the question of clarifying the way for shaping man's destiny became an urgent task which brooks no delay and solution to this question required to elucidate the law peculiar to social movement.

Reflecting such urgent requirement of our time, the Juche philosophy raised it as its philosophical task to clarify the essential characteristics of man and the law peculiar to social movement, a movement of man, and found a scientific solution to this historic question.

Thanks to the scientific clarification of the essential characteristics of man and the law peculiar to social movement, philosophy became a perfect scientific world outlook that could satisfactorily fulfil its mission for showing the way to hew out man's destiny, and it provided a powerful ideological weapon which could lead the people's struggle for independence to a brilliant victory.

3. What is the fundamental question of the Juche philosophy?

What is the fundamental question of philosophy?

The fundamental question of philosophy is the basis and starting point which should be answered primarily for the establishment of the outlook on the world.

There are a lot of questions to be answered for establishing a well-regulated philosophical outlook on the world such as what is the world, how the world changes and develops, how to observe and approach the world, etc.

The whole system and contents of a philosophy depend upon what is raised as the fundamental question of philosophy and how it is answered.

The fundamental question is to a philosophy, as the foundation is to a house. Without a strong foundation, a house cannot stand firm. If the foundation is not strong, the building would become out of perpendicular.

The Tower of Pisa which was inclined during its construction is now in danger of falling down, and so a project started to make it perpendicular.

If a philosophy is to give a correct world outlook, it is necessary to find its fundamental question and, on this basis, give answers to all the questions.

What was the fundamental question of the preceding philosophies?

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"In the past the relations between substance and consciousness, between being and thinking were regarded as the basic question of philosophy."

This does not mean that all the preceding philosophies asserted that the relationship between matter and consciousness is the fundamental question of philosophy and debated this question. It is the conclusion of Engels who summed up and analyzed the history of philosophy that the relationship between matter and consciousness is the fundamental question of philosophy.

There had been some philosophers who claimed that there is no fundamental question of philosophy.

What, then, is the question of relationship between matter and consciousness?

That is the question of what is prior, matter or consciousness, namely whether matter comes from consciousness or vice versa.

Simply speaking, this is the question of the origin of the world.

According to their answers to the question of relationship between matter and consciousness, the former philosophies were divided into two contrary camps.

The philosophy that regarded matter as the priority and as the origin of the world was called materialistic philosophy, whereas the one that regarded consciousness as the priority and origin of the world was called idealistic philosophy.

How, then, did the former philosophies raise the relationship between matter and consciousness as the fundamental question of philosophy?

Here are some reasons.

In the remote past, people's minds were dominated by unscientific illusions for they had little knowledge of nature and society. It is natural. When we considering that even today when science developed so highly, some are captured by superstition and illusion.

The primitive people did not know why the phenomena as lightning and thundering take place in the surrounding world, thinking that they were caused by "supernatural being". This naturally gave birth to religion which worshipped the "supernatural being".

When society developed into class society, the ruling class abused the religion as a ideological tool to ensure its domination over society.

Through practical struggle to conquer nature and shape their destiny, people discovered the secret of nature one by one and gradually escaped from mysterious illusions, and in this process they found the origin of the world in the material, eventually giving birth to the ancient materialistic philosophy.

The ancient materialism was of course very immature for it was based on simple intuition. This is, therefore, called simple materialism or spontaneous materialism. However simple and immature, the ancient materialism denied the "supernatural being" and claimed the materiality of the world.

In such circumstances the reactionary ruling class which used the religious world outlook as an ideological tool to realize its domination produced idealism by "theorizing" the religious world outlook.

It naturally made the question of relationship between matter and consciousness the fundamental question of philosophy.

Materialism and idealism which developed in this process regarded the relationship between matter and consciousness, between being and thinking as the fundamental question of philosophy and had continuous debates which were not confined to academic circles, but accompanied by an acute class struggle. That is because materialism in general spoke for the class which is interested in the development of society whereas idealism was for the interests of the reactionary ruling class.

The debates between materialism and idealism over the fundamental question of philosophy came to a close when Marxist dialectical materialism was evolved.

The dialectical materialistic world outlook which was evolved on a scientific solution of the relationship between matter and consciousness had essential limitations in shaping the destiny of man.

In order to shape man's destiny, man should dominate and transform the world, but the dialectical materialism did not give direct answer to the question.

While criticizing the previous contemplative materialism(which limited itself to the interpretation of the world), Marx said that a point of issue is to change the world, calling his philosophy the weapon to change the world.

It is necessary to have a correct understanding of Marx's words.

By calling his dialectical materialism the weapon to change, Marx meant that in order to change the world, it is necessary to think and act as required by the dialectical materialistic principle which gave a scientific clarification of the essence of the material world and the law of its motion. The dialectical materialistic principle serves as a methodology in cognizing and transforming the world but does not show the basic method to shape man's destiny.

Only with the knowledge that the world consists of matters and changes and develops constantly, is it impossible to give answers to such fundamental and important questions necessary for shaping man's destiny, as whether man can dominate the world or not, whether he or any other being plays a decisive role in transforming the world and with what viewpoint and attitudes one should approach the world to cognize and transform it.

In order to show the way of shaping man's destiny, it is important to newly raise the fundamental question of philosophy and on this basis build a new philosophy. This historic task was fulfilled successfully thanks to the creation of the Juche philosophy.

The Juche philosophy has newly raised the relationship between the world and man, and man's position and role in the world, as the fundamental question of the philosophy.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"The Juche philosophy has raised the relationship between the world and man, and man's position and role in the world, as the fundamental question of philosophy, clarified the philosophical principle that man is the master of everything and that he decides everything and, on this basis, illuminated the absolutely correct way of shaping man's destiny."

The fundamental question of philosophy is the most basic question and starting-point to be solved before anything else in establishing philosophical outlook on the world and the whole system and contents are defined by what is raised as the fundamental question of philosophy and how it is solved.

Therefore, in order to correctly know the greatness, originality and scientific accuracy of the Juche philosophy, it is necessary to understand what is the fundamental question raised newly by the Juche philosophy.

The fundamental question of philosophy which the Juche philosophy newly raised is the relationship between the world and man, man's position and role in the world.

It reflects the urgent requirement of our time when the oppressed and humiliated masses of the people turn out on a nation-wide struggle to shape their destiny.

The relationship between man and the world, man's position and role in the world, enables to establish the world outlook showing the correct way for man to shape his destiny.

For the philosophy to serve the shaping of man's destiny, it must first of all clarify man's position and role in the world for he lives and shapes his destiny in the world.

The world consists of nature, society and man. To maintain his life, man should have a close relation with nature and society and his destiny is shaped in relation with nature and society. This necessarily requires to solve the question of the relationship between man and the world, man's position and role in the world to show the way of shaping man's destiny. So to speak, it must be known whether man dominates the surrounding world or vice versa, and whether man or some other being plays a decisive role in transforming the world. Only then, is it possible to show whether or not man is able to shape his destiny by his own efforts, and if he is able to do, what viewpoint on and attitude towards the world should man have. This is the main reason why the fundamental question of philosophy newly raised by the Juche philosophy most correctly shows the way of shaping man's destiny.

Raising the relationship between the world and man, man's position and role in the world, as the fundamental question of philosophy is also the demand of the development of philosophy itself.

As mentioned above, the question of the relationship between matter and consciousness, that is, the question of the world's origin, had been made clear by the Marxist philosophy.

The question of man's position and role in the world presupposes the solution of the question of the relationship between matter and consciousness. This means that the former could have been clarified only on the basis of the solution of the latter. In this sense, raising man's position and role in the world as the fundamental question of philosophy reflects the law of the development of philosophical thinking.

The Juche philosophy newly raised the relationship between man and the world, man's position and role in the world, as the fundamental question of philosophy and thus illuminated the absolutely correct way of shaping man's destiny and put the philosophical thinking of mankind on a new high stage.

4. The Fundamental Principle of the Juche Philosophy

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"The Juche idea raised the fundamental question of philosophy by regarding man as the main factor, and elucidated the philosophical principle that man is the master of everything and decides everything."

The fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy is a new and original philosophical principle as it newly raised man's position and role in the world as the question of philosophy and gave a scientific solution to this.

The fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy is a principle which becomes the basis of its whole system. Figuratively speaking, it is as same as ground stones of a house.

It can be said that philosophy is a logical system of philosophical principles. The Juche philosophy has many principles all of which are clarified on the basis of its fundamental principle that man is the master of everything and decides everything.

Therefore, in order to understand the Juche philosophy correctly and profoundly, it is necessary to know what the fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy is.

The fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy consists of two points. One is that man is the master of everything, and the other is that man decides everything.

Further explanations are followed.

Man is the master of everything.

That man is the master of everything shows the position of man in the world.

The word "master" is used in various meanings in daily life; owner of a thing or man who is in charge of a work. Slaves and farmhands call their employer master in the exploiting class society, and wife calls her husband master in some countries. Like this, the word "master" is used in a very broad sense, expressing relations of ownership, social status, family and other relations of social life.

But the word "master" used in the Juche philosophy is not as general as seen above. It is a philosophical concept expressing man's position in the world. That man is the master of everything means that man holds a position as master in the world. Man is not a being that is subordinated to the surrounding world. On the contrary, he is a being that dominates and subordinates the world to meet his demand.

There are various material beings in the material world. But there is no other being but man that dominates and subordinates the world to him.

Animals can preserve their existence and produce their next generation to maintain their species only through their adaptation to the outside environment.

Lions, "king" of grassland, prey on weak animals, but it is not an act of dominating the surrounding world. It is an act of living through adaptation to the surrounding world. If there is no prey, they would be destined to death. Animals die massively when rivers and lakes dry up, which can be seen frequently in Africa. But no animal digs a well to survive. This shows that animals survive through their adaptation to the surrounding world, not dominating it. If animals can not adapt themselves to the surrounding world, there is no help for them but to die.

Man's position as master of the world is continuously enhanced historically. In this sense, history of mankind is said to be history of man's position as master of the world has been enhanced ceaselessly.

Man is the master of his destiny. Man's destiny is shaped through the transformation of the world. Since man is the master of the world who lives dominating and subordinating the world to him, he is the master of his destiny. That man is the master of the world means that he is the master of his destiny. There is no other existence in the world that controls man's destiny. Master of man's destiny is just man himself.

In a nutshell, man is the master of nature and society, that is, master of the world and his own destiny. This is man's position in the world.

As it clarified man's position as master of the world, the fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy provided man with the basic guideline for their cognitive and practical activities, so that he can exercise his right as master and fulfil his responsibility as such.

Man decides everything.

That man decides everything shows the role of man in transforming the world.

There is no other being in the world that transforms the surroundings. Of course, animals make changes in nature to some extent. When pine caterpillars are multiplied, a mountain is stripped bare in a moment. We know the fact that African locusts finished off crops in tens of thousands of hectares. Beavers build banks with trees to protect their nests. But all those acts are not intended to transform the world.

They are instincts to preserve themselves. Animal's behaviour, therefore, remain unchanged, how long time passes.

Some people may ask if material devices do play a big role in transforming nature. Today when science and technology have developed considerably, material and technical means play a big role in transforming nature. However big role material and technical means may play, it cannot replace the role of man. Material and technical means are made and used by man. Without the role of man, it is impossible to think of any role of the material and technical means such as intelligent robots.

Man plays decisive role in shaping his destiny.

Since the destiny of man is shaped through the transformation of the world, that man plays decisive role in transforming the world means that man plays decisive role in shaping his own destiny.

There is no other being in the world that can help shaping man's destiny. In the age of science and technology some people think that science and technology play a decisive role in shaping man's destiny. Of course, science and technology play an important role in shaping man's destiny today. But they are created and developed by man.

The fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy scientifically clarified that man decides everything and thus explained a truth that man should be brought up as a powerful being and his role be constantly enhanced so as to transform the world and shape his destiny.

The fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy goes through all the principles of the Juche-oriented world outlook. The viewpoint on and attitude towards the world, the law of development of the world, the law-governed principles inherent to social movement and so on are all based on the fundamental principle of the Juche philosophy and they are also the application of this principle.

The originality, truthfulness, revolutionary character and scientific accuracy of the Juche philosophy are fully ensured as they are based on its fundamental principle.