Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit Asia required a major review of the old system of government-business alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea this meant a shift in the development paradigm.
In a controversial decision the South Korean government has requested textbooks publishers to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution from high school science texts. This includes the evidence of the evolution of horses and of the avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A group of creationists in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to exclude evidence of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. The Society for Textbook Revise, an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research which aims to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims such materialism portrays an image of negativity for students, causing them to lose faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed concerns when the STR campaign was featured in the news. In a letter to the editor of Nature the evolutionary biologist Jae Choe at Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in to religious prejudice. He was backed up by colleagues from across the country, who set up a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Some researchers are also concerned that the STR campaign will spread to other parts of the world, where the prevalence of creationism is rising. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will intensify pressure for revisions to textbooks in other countries, notably those with strong Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate about evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are members of a religious group, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also follow Ch'ondogyo, an ideology based on Confucian principles, which is a strong advocate of social harmony, individual self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo is 에볼루션바카라사이트 of teaching that the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that heavenly blessings are possible by doing good deeds.
All of this has provided an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Multiple studies have shown students who have a religious background to be more hesitant to learn about evolution than those who do not. The underlying reasons for this phenomenon are not clear. Students who are religious may be less experienced with scientific theories, making them more vulnerable to creationists influence. Another reason could be that students who have a religious background are more likely to see evolution as a religious concept, which may make them less at ease with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have raised concerns in the scientific community. A survey in 2009 revealed that 40 percent of Americans believed that biological evolution was not true and that it would conflict their religious beliefs. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in some states, a lot of scientists believe that the best way to combat this inclination is not to be actively involved in with it, but rather educate people about the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are responsible for teaching their students science that includes the theory of evolution. They should also inform the public about the process of scientific research and how knowledge is verified. They must explain how scientific theories are frequently challenged and changed. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of scientific research frequently cause people to believe that evolution is not real.
For instance, some people may confuse the word "theory" with the common meaning of the word, which is a hunch or a guess. However, in science the theory is thoroughly tested and verified using empirical evidence. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principle.
The debate about evolution theory is an excellent opportunity to discuss both the importance of scientific methodology and its limitations. It is important that people understand that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but allows living things to evolve and change.
A well-rounded education should also include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is important because many jobs and decisions require people know the way science operates.
The vast majority scientists in the world agree that humans have evolved through time. A recent study predicting adults' views of the consensus on this issue found that those who had higher levels of education and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a broad agreement between scientists regarding human evolution. Those with more religious faith but less science knowledge tend to disagree more. It is essential that educators insist on the importance of knowing the consensus on this issue to ensure that people have a solid foundation for making informed choices about their health care, energy use and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close relative of the mainstream evolutionary theory. It explores how humans and other organisms learn from one another. Researchers in this field utilize explanation models and tools that are adapted from the ones used by evolutionary theorists, and they reach back into human prehistory to determine the genesis of our capacity for culture.
This approach also recognizes the difference between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits are acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are typically acquired simultaneously (in the case of sexual species after fertilization). The acquisition of a cultural characteristic can affect the development and growth of another.
In Korea, for example the introduction of Western fashion elements in the late 19th century and early 20th century was the result of a complicated sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western clothing and hairstyles.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s some of these trends began to change. At the close of World War II, Korea was once more united and again under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown steadily in the past decade and is expected to maintain its steady growth in the near future.
However, the current administration faces numerous challenges. The government's inability to formulate an effective strategy to tackle the current economic crisis is one of the biggest challenges. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the country's policies, especially its over-reliance on exports and foreign investment which could not last.
Since the financial crisis has destroyed the confidence of investors, the government has to rethink its economic strategy and find alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It must also revamp the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems that are in place to guarantee a stable financial environment. This chapter offers a variety of scenarios of how the Korean economy could develop post-crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for evolution educators is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different stages of development and ages. For example, teachers must be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a space that students who have religious and secular views feel comfortable in learning about evolution. Teachers should also be able recognize common misconceptions about evolution and be able to address them in the classroom. Teachers must also have easy access to the various resources to teach evolution.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played a significant role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from various sectors to discuss best practices for teaching Evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies, educational researchers, officials from government funding agencies, and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse parties led to the identification of a common set of recommendations that will be the foundation for future actions.
It is crucial to include evolution in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a method to achieve this goal. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC provides guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Numerous studies have shown that a more comprehensive teaching of evolution is associated with higher levels of student understanding and belief in evolution. However it is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom is difficult due to the fact that school curriculums are not assigned randomly and change over time because of the predetermined timeframe of gubernatorial elections as well as state board of education appointments. To overcome this limitation I employ a longitudinal dataset that allows me control for the effects of years and states fixed as well as individual-level variations in the beliefs of teachers regarding evolutionary theory.
Another significant finding is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report having less personal barriers to teaching it. This is in line with the idea that faculty who are more confident are less likely to be hesitant about questions about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to use strategies like a reconciliatory method which is used to increase the students' understanding of evolution.