Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept Asia required a major review of the old system of business-government alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea this meant a shift in the model of development.
In a controversial decision, South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers not to comply with calls to remove examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes the evidence for evolution of horses and of the bird ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to exclude evidence of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This was the result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology books of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that this kind of materialistic views create a negative image for students, and could lead to their eventual loss of faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed concerns when the STR campaign made headlines. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an open letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was supported by colleagues across the country, who set up an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition to protest the changes to the textbooks.
Some researchers are concerned about the possibility that the STR campaign will spread to other regions of the world, where the prevalence of creationism is rising. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution movement putting more pressure on textbook revisions, specifically in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of the nation's citizens belong to an organized religion and the majority of them adhere to Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is based on Confucian principles which emphasizes harmony in society and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that human beings are in a relationship with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that heaven-bound blessings are possible through good works.
All of this has made creationism a fertile ground. Several studies have shown that students who have religion-based backgrounds tend to feel more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those who are not religious. The underlying causes are not clear. Students who have a religious background might be less knowledgeable about scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to the creationists' influence. Another possibility is that students with religious beliefs tend to view evolution as an atheistic idea, which may make them less comfortable with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent times scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution efforts in schools. A study conducted in 2009 found that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is a lie, and that a belief in it would conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the popularity of creationism in certain states, many scientists feel that the best method to combat this inclination is not to be actively involved in it, but to inform people about the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are required to educate their students about science and the theory of evolution. They should also inform the general public about the process of science and how knowledge from science is collected and verified. They should also clarify that scientific theories are frequently challenged and re-examined. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of scientific research can fuel anti-evolution views.
Many people mistake the term "theory" as a guess or guess. However, in science, a theory is rigorously tested and verified through empirical evidence. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principal.
The debate over evolutionary theory is a good occasion to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial to be aware that science is not able to answer questions about the purpose of life or meaning, but rather offers a way for living things to develop and adapt.
A comprehensive education should include exposure to all major scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is especially important since the jobs people are employed in and the decisions they make require a understanding of how science works.
The vast majority of scientists across the world accept that humans have evolved over time. In a recent study that predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus on this topic those with higher levels of education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely to believe that there is wide consensus among scientists on human evolution. People with a higher level of religious belief but less scientific knowledge tend to disagree more. It is critical that educators emphasize the importance of knowing the general consensus on this issue to ensure that people have a solid basis for making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy use, and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution focuses on the various ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and interact with one another. 에볼루션 룰렛 in this field employ explanation tools and models derived from evolutionary theorists and go back to the prehistoric human to discover the earliest sources of culture.
This approach also recognizes that there are differences between the characteristics of culture and biological. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually, whereas biological traits are typically acquired simultaneously (in sexual species at fertilization). This means that the acquisition of one cultural trait can influence the development of another.
In Korea the introduction of Western styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the result a complex sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western hairstyles and styles of clothing to Korean society.
When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to reverse. By the end of World War II, Korea was once again united and was again under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown consistently over the last decade and is set to continue its healthy growth in the coming years.
The current government is confronted by a myriad of problems. One of the most significant is its inability to develop a coherent policy to tackle the economic crisis. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses of the country's economy policies, including its excessive dependence on exports and foreign investment that may not be sustainable over the long term.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. As a result, the government has to rethink its strategy and find other ways to boost the domestic demand. It also needs to revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems in place to guarantee an environment that is stable for the financial sector. This chapter offers a variety of scenarios on how the Korean economy could develop post-crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different stages of development and ages. For example, teachers must be sensitive to the religious diversity of their classrooms and create a space that students who have religious and secular beliefs are comfortable with learning about evolution. Additionally, teachers must understand common misconceptions about evolution, and how to confront these in their classrooms. Teachers must also have access to a variety of resources available to teach evolution and be able locate them quickly.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played a significant role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best practices for teaching Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, government funding agency officials and curriculum designers. The convergence of different stakeholders helped identify a set of shared recommendations that will form the basis for any future actions.
One important recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be integrated in all science curricula at any 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 offers guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more thorough presentation of evolution leads to a greater understanding of students and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine the causal effect of evolution in the classroom is a challenge due to the fact that school curriculums are not assigned randomly and evolve over time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this issue I employ an ongoing dataset that gives me control for state and years fixed effects as well as individual-level differences in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Teachers who are more comfortable in teaching evolution have fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the hypothesis that more experienced faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom, and could be more inclined to use strategies such as a reconciliatory approach which is used to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.