Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of government-business alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea this meant an evolution of the development model.
In a controversial move South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers to ignore calls to eliminate examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes evidence for evolution of horses and the bird an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group from South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to omit evidence of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research which aims to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims that this kind of materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students, and could lead to their eventual loss of faith.
Scientists from all over the world expressed concern when the STR campaign gained attention. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature evolutionary biologist Jae Choe of Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in to religious prejudice. He was backed by colleagues from around the country who gathered into a group named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Researchers are worried about the possibility that the STR campaign will spread to other parts of the world, where the spread of creationism is increasing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution movement putting more pressure on textbook revisions, particularly in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea's cultural background is particularly strong for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religion, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes social harmony and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that heavenly blessings can be achieved by doing good deeds.
All of this has made creationism a fertile field. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have religion-based backgrounds tend to be more uncomfortable about learning evolution than those without religion. The underlying causes are not obvious. One reason is that students with religious beliefs tend to be as well-versed in scientific concepts and theories and are therefore more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another reason could be that students with religious backgrounds might view evolution as an idea that is not a religion, which makes them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent times, the scientific community has been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A 2009 survey revealed that more than 40 percent of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true and that believing in it would be contrary to their faith-based beliefs. Many scientists believe that despite the success of creationism, the best way to stop this movement is to educate the public about the evidence for evolution.
Scientists have a responsibility to educate their students about science and the theory of evolution. They also need to inform people about the science process and how knowledge is collected and confirmed. discover here must also explain that theories of science are often challenged and reformulated. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of scientific research often fuel anti-evolution beliefs.
For instance, many people are able to confuse the term "theory" with the normal meaning of the word - a guess or guess. In science, however the theory is rigorously tested and verified through empirical evidence. A theory that survives repeated testing and observation is a scientific concept.
The debate about evolution theory is a great opportunity to discuss both the importance of scientific methodology and its limits. It is crucial to understand that science is not able to answer questions about the purpose of life or meaning, but instead offers a way for living things to evolve and adapt.
Moreover, a well-rounded education should cover the vast majority of scientific fields that include evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs that people have and the decisions they make require a understanding of how science functions.
The majority of scientists across the world accept that humans have changed over time. In a study that predicted the views of adults on the consensus on this subject people with higher levels of education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide consensus among scientists on human evolution. People with more religious beliefs and less science-based knowledge tend to be more skeptical. It is essential 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 choices about their health care, energy usage, and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close relative of the popular evolutionary theory. click the following article explores how organisms like humans learn from one another. Researchers in this area use explanatory tools and investigative models derived from evolutionary theorists. They also go back to prehistoric times to discover the earliest sources of culture.
This method also acknowledges the difference between traits that are cultural and biological. While biological traits are largely acquired in one go (in sexual species, at fertilization) but cultural traits can be acquired over a protracted period of time. In the end, the acquisition of one trait may affect the development of another.
In Korea, the adoption of Western styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was the result of a complex sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and styles of clothing to Korean society.
When Japan departed Korea in the 1930s, a few of those trends began to change. By the end of World War II, Korea had once again unified, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent financial crisis the economy of Korea has been growing consistently over the last decade. It is anticipated to continue to grow in the future.
The current government is facing a variety of challenges. The inability of the government to develop an effective strategy to tackle the current economic crisis is one the biggest challenges. The crisis has revealed weaknesses of the country's policies particularly its dependence on exports and foreign investment, which may not last.
The crisis has shaken confidence of investors. As a result, the government needs to reconsider its strategy and come up with other ways to increase domestic demand. To ensure a stable financial climate the government will need to reform its incentive system, monitoring and discipline. This chapter offers a number of scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop in the post-crisis era.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution lies in how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various stages of development and ages. Teachers should, for instance, be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create an environment where students of both religious and secular beliefs are at ease. Teachers should also be able to identify common misconceptions about evolution and be able to address them in the classroom. Teachers must also have quick access to the numerous resources available to teach evolution.
In this context, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best methods for teaching evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, officials from government funding agencies and curriculum designers. The convergence of diverse stakeholders led to the development of some common guidelines which will serve as the basis for any future actions.
It is crucial to include evolution in all science curricula, at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC), which call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences with the developmentally appropriate, are a way to achieve this goal. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools on how they can integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more complete presentation of evolution is linked to better understanding by students and belief in the existence of evolution. It is difficult to estimate causal effects in the classroom since school curricula don't change on a regular basis and are affected by the timing of state board of education and gubernatorial election. To overcome this issue, i use a longitudinal data set that gives me control for the effects of years and states fixed as well as individual-level differences in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Another significant finding is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching about evolution report having fewer personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the idea that more confident faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom, and may be more inclined to use strategies like a reconciliatory method which is used to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.