Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of business-government alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea this meant a change in the model of development.
In a controversial move, the South Korean government has requested publishers of textbooks to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution from high school science texts. This includes evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the bird an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. The decision was the result of a campaign run by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) an independent offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research which aims to get rid of biology textbooks of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that such materialism creates negative images to students, making them be skeptical.
Scientists from all over the world expressed worry when the STR campaign gained attention. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, complained in a letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. His colleagues backed him from across the country who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Researchers are worried about the possibility that the STR campaign will be spread to other parts of the world, where creationism is on the rise. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolutionist campaign putting pressure on textbook revisions, especially in countries with large Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea's cultural background is particularly strong in the debate over evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are part of a religious community, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to the philosophy of Ch'ondogyo. It is founded on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that the human being is one with Hanulnim the God of Sun and that the heavenly blessings are possible through the good works of one's.
All of this has made creationism fertile field. Numerous studies have found that students who have a religious background to be more hesitant to learn about evolution than those who don't. However, the underlying causes of this phenomenon are not clear. One possible explanation is that students who have religious beliefs tend to be as knowledgeable about scientific concepts and theories which makes them more susceptible to the influence of creationists. Another possibility is that students who have a religious background are more likely to view evolution as a religious concept and therefore less comfortable with the idea.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have caused concern in the scientific community. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that nearly 40% of Americans believed that biological evolution was a myth and that it could conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in certain states, many scientists believe that the best method to counter this movement is not to actively engage in with it, but rather inform people about the evidence for evolution.
Scientists have a responsibility to teach their students about science and the theory of evolution. They must also inform the public about the process of science and how knowledge is gathered and verified. They should also explain that theories of science are frequently challenged and revised. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of research can fuel anti-evolution views.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a guess or guess. In science, however, the hypothesis is tested thoroughly and empirical evidence is used to verify it. A theory that is able to withstand repeated testing and observation becomes a scientific principle.
The debate on evolution theory is a great chance to discuss the importance of scientific method and its limits. It is essential that people understand that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but instead provides a mechanism for living things to develop and change.
A well-rounded education must include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is especially important since the jobs that people have and the decisions they make require a understanding of how science functions.
에볼루션 룰렛 in the world agree that humans have changed over time. In a recent study that predicted adults' views of the consensus around this issue, those with higher levels education and knowledge of science were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide agreement among scientists regarding the evolution of humans. Those with more religious faith but less science knowledge tend to disagree more. It is critical that educators insist on knowing the consensus on this issue, so that people have a solid foundation for making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy use and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close relative of the mainstream evolutionary theory. It explores the ways that humans and other species learn from each other. Researchers in this field employ explanatory models and investigative tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists, and they go back to human prehistory to find out the origins of our capacity for cultural understanding.
This method also acknowledges the distinction between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually while biological traits are mostly inherited at the same time (in the case of sexual species after fertilization). In the end, the acquisition of one trait may affect the development of another.
In Korea for instance, the adoption of Western fashion elements in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the result of a complex series of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.
After that, when Japan departed Korea in the 1930s, a portion of those trends began to reverse. 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 steadily over the last decade. It is expected to keep this trend going in the future.
The current government is confronted by a myriad of problems. One of the biggest is the inability to come up with a consistent policy to tackle the economic crisis. The crisis has exposed shortcomings of the country's economic policies, mainly its overreliance on exports and foreign investment, which may not be sustainable over the long term.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. This means that the government has to reconsider its strategy and come up with other ways to increase domestic demand. It must also revamp the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems currently in place to create a stable financial environment. This chapter presents several scenarios on how the Korean economy could develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for teachers of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different ages and stages of development. Teachers must, for example be aware of the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create an environment where students with both religious and secular perspectives are at ease. Teachers must also be aware of common misconceptions about evolution and how to deal with these in their classrooms. Teachers must also have quick access to the various resources to teach evolution.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing together evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best practices for teaching evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as government funding agency officials as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of diverse participants helped to identify a set of shared recommendations which will serve as the basis for future actions.
One important recommendation is that the subject of evolution should be included in all science curricula at every level. To achieve this goal it is recommended that the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a unified manner across all sciences using a sequence of ideas that are developmentally appropriate. A new publication from NRC provides guidance to schools about how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Several studies have found that a more thorough teaching of evolution is associated with higher levels of student understanding and belief in the existence of evolution. It is difficult to quantify causal effects in the classroom because the curriculum for schools do not change randomly and are affected by the timing of the state board of education and gubernatorial election. To overcome this limitation I employ a longitudinal data set that lets me control for year and state fixed effects and individual-level variation in the beliefs of teachers about the evolution of their curriculum.
Teachers who are more comfortable in teaching evolution have less internal barriers. This is in line with the idea that more experienced faculty are less likely to avoid questions about evolution in the classroom, and could be more inclined to use strategies such as the reconciliatory method that is known to boost the students' understanding of evolution.