Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that struck 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 change in the model of development.
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 evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the bird an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has convinced textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high school science texts. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research that wants to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the move. The STR claims such materialism portrays negative images to students, making them abandon their faith.
Scientists from all over the world expressed concerns when the STR campaign gained attention. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul wrote in 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 named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some scientists are worried that the STR will be spread to other regions of the world, where the belief in creationism has been on the rise. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution movement putting more pressure on textbook revisions, specifically in countries with large Christian and Muslim population.
The South Korean culture is particularly strong in the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are members of a religious group with the majority of them practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Additionally, 에볼루션 룰렛 of Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is that is based on Confucian principles which emphasizes harmony in society and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that the human being is one with Hanulnim the God of Sun and that the heavenly blessings can be achieved through good works.
All of this has provided fertile ground for the spread of creationism. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have religious backgrounds tend to feel more uncomfortable about learning about evolution than students without religion. However, the root causes of this phenomenon are not clear. One possible explanation is that students who have religious backgrounds tend to be as familiar with scientific theories and concepts which makes them more susceptible to the influence of creationists. Another factor could be that those with religious backgrounds may see evolution as a concept that is agnostic, making them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution campaigns in schools have caused concern among the scientific community. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that nearly 40% 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 certain states, many scientists feel that the best method to counter this movement is not to engage it, but to inform the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are accountable for teaching their students science, which includes the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the general public about the science process, and how scientific knowledge is gathered and verified. They should also explain that scientific theories are often challenged and re-examined. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of research can lead to a negative view of evolution.
For example, some people confuse the term "theory" with the common meaning of the word, which is a hunch or a guess. In science, however an hypothesis is rigorously tested, and empirical data is used to verify it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principal.
The debate on the theory of evolution is a wonderful chance to discuss the importance of scientific method and its limits. It is important for people to understand that science is unable to answer questions about the purpose or meaning of life, but only provides a mechanism that allows living things to evolve and change.
A comprehensive education should include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is important because many jobs and decisions require that people understand how science works.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed over time. In a study that predicted adults' views of the consensus on this topic, those with higher levels education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide agreement among scientists about human evolution. The people who have more religious beliefs but less science knowledge tend to be more divided. It is important that educators stress the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, to enable people to make informed decisions regarding energy use, health care and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to mainstream evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution explores the many ways that humans and other species learn from and with one another. Researchers in this field use elaborate models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists. they go back to human prehistory to find out the origins of our capacity to learn about culture.
This approach also acknowledges that there are some differences between biological and cultural characteristics. While biological traits are generally acquired at once (in sexual species, during fertilization) however, cultural traits can be acquired over a long period of time. The acquisition of one cultural characteristic may affect the development and growth of a different.
In Korea the emergence of Western style elements in the latter part of the nineteenth and early 20th century was the result of an intricate sequence of events. One of the most important was the appearance in Korea of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothing.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s, a few of these changes began to reverse. At the end of World War II, Korea was once again united and again under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is an 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 future.
The current government is faced with many challenges. One of the biggest is its inability to find a consistent policy to deal with the economic crisis. The crisis has revealed weaknesses in the country's policies and its reliance on foreign investment and exports which could not last.
Since the financial crisis has destroyed the confidence of investors, the government needs to rethink its economic strategy and look for alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It will also have to reform the incentive monitoring, monitoring, and discipline systems currently in place to create the stability of the financial system. This chapter provides a number of scenarios of how the Korean economy might grow in a post-crisis environment.
4. Evolution and Education
The biggest challenge for evolution educators is how to teach evolutionary concepts in a way that is suitable for students of different ages and developmental stages. Teachers must, for example, be sensitive to the diversity of religions within their classrooms and create a learning environment where students with both secular and religious beliefs feel comfortable. Teachers must also understand the most common misconceptions about evolution and how to confront them in their classrooms. Teachers must also have access to a range of resources to teach evolution and be able to find them quickly.
In this context, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step towards bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of sectors to discuss the best practices for teaching evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as officials of government funding agencies and curriculum designers. The convergence of diverse participants helped to identify the common recommendations which will serve as the basis for any future actions.
One important recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be included in every science curriculum at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC), which call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a method to achieve this goal. A new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools on how to integrate evolution into their life science curriculum.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that a more comprehensive presentation of evolution leads to greater student understanding and belief in evolution. However, estimating the causal effect of evolution in the classroom is a challenge given that school curricula are not randomly assigned and evolve over time because of the predetermined timing of gubernatorial elections and state board of education appointments. To overcome this problem I employ a longitudinal data set that gives me control for the fixed effects of state and years as well as individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution have fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the idea that more experienced faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom, and could be more inclined to employ strategies like a reconciliatory method that is known to boost undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.