Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of business-government alliances and public management of private risks. In Korea this meant a shift in the development model.
In a controversial decision the South Korean government has asked publishers of textbooks to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution from high school science texts. This includes the evidence for evolution of horses and of the bird ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has persuaded textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high school science texts. The Society for Textbook Revise, an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to cleanse 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 around the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign gained attention. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an email to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was backed by colleagues from all over the country who gathered into a group called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some scientists are worried about the possibility that the STR campaign could spread to other parts of the world where the belief in creationism is on the rise. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement will increase pressure for textbook revisions in other countries, especially those with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly strong cultural background for the debate about evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are members of a religious community and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy based upon Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation, and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo teaches that the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun, and that divine blessings are possible through good works.
All of this has made creationism a fertile field. Numerous studies have found that students who have religious backgrounds to be more uncomfortable learning about evolution as compared to those who do not. The causes behind this are not clear. Students who are religious may not be as familiar with scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to creationists and their influence. Another factor could be that students with a religious background may view evolution as a concept that is not a religion, which makes them less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent times scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A survey in 2009 revealed that 40% of Americans believed that biological evolution was not true and that it would conflict their religious beliefs. Despite the popularity of creationism in some states, a lot of scientists feel that the best way to stop this trend is not to be actively involved in it, but rather to educate people about the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are accountable for teaching their students science including the theory of evolution. They also need to educate the public on the process of scientific research and how knowledge is confirmed. 에볼루션 must also explain that theories of science are frequently challenged and reformulated. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of scientific research can lead to a negative view of evolution.
Some people interpret the term "theory" as a hunch, or a guess. In science, however the theory is rigorously tested and verified with empirical evidence. A theory that is repeatedly tested and observed is then a scientific principle.
The debate about the evolutionary theory provides a great occasion to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial that people understand that science does not answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but rather provides a mechanism for living things to evolve and adapt.
A well-rounded education should also include exposure to the major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because a lot of jobs and choices require individuals understand the way science operates.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed through time. A recent study that predicted the adults' views of the consensus on this subject found that those with higher education levels and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a broad agreement among scientists on the subject of human evolution. The people with more religious faith and less knowledge of science are more likely to disapprove. It is critical that educators insist on the importance of understanding the general consensus on this issue to ensure that people have a solid basis for making informed decisions about their health care, energy usage, and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close cousin of the mainstream evolutionary theory. It examines how organisms like humans learn from each other. Researchers in this field use elaborate models and tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists. they look back to human prehistory to find out the genesis of our capacity for cultural understanding.
This approach also recognizes that there are some differences between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually while biological traits are typically acquired simultaneously (in sexual species at fertilization). The acquisition of one cultural characteristic can influence the growth and development of another.
In Korea the introduction of Western style elements in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the result an elaborate sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.
Then, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a portion of these trends began change. At the close of World War II, Korea was united once more and again under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown consistently over the last decade and is set to sustain its steady growth in the future.
The current government is confronted with many challenges. The inability of the government to develop a coherent plan to address the current economic crisis is among the biggest obstacles. The crisis has revealed weaknesses of the country's policies and its reliance on foreign investment and exports, which may not last.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government has to rethink its economic strategy and come up with alternatives to increase domestic demand. It must also reform the incentive monitoring, monitoring, 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 might develop post-crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
A fundamental challenge for evolution educators is how to teach evolutionary concepts in a manner that is appropriate for students of different ages and developmental stages. For example, teachers must be sensitive to the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a setting where students with religious and secular beliefs are comfortable with learning about evolution. Teachers should also be able to identify common misconceptions about evolution and know how to correct them in the classroom. Teachers must also have access to a variety of resources to teach evolution and be able locate them quickly.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from various sectors to discuss the best practices for teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, government funding agency officials and curriculum developers. The convergence of diverse participants helped to identify the common recommendations that will form the foundation for future actions.
It is essential to incorporate evolution in all science curricula at every level. To achieve this the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a unified manner across all sciences, with a progression of ideas that are developmentally appropriate. A new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools about how to incorporate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more thorough explanation of evolution can lead to better understanding by students and belief in evolution. It is difficult to quantify causal effects in the classroom since the curriculum for schools do not change randomly and are influenced by the timing of the state board of education and the gubernatorial election. To overcome this limitation I use an ongoing dataset that gives me control for the effects of years and states fixed and individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Another significant finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching evolution report having fewer personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the hypothesis that more confident faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom, and could be more inclined to use strategies such as the reconciliatory method known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.