Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that struck Asia caused a significant rethinking of the old system of government-business alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea, that required a change in the development model.
In a controversial move, the South Korean government has asked publishers of textbooks to ignore calls for removing examples of evolution in high school science texts. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses and the avian 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 which aims to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims that such materialism creates an image of negativity for students, causing them to be skeptical.
Scientists around the globe expressed concerns when the STR campaign gained attention. In a letter 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 supported by colleagues across the country, who set up an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the textbook changes.
Some scientists are also worried about the possibility that the STR campaign could spread to other regions of the world where the prevalence of creationism is rising. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement could increase pressure for textbook revisions in other countries, particularly those with large Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea has a particularly significant cultural context for the evolution debate. Twenty-six percent of the country's citizens belong to one of the religious groups and the majority of them adhere to Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, a lot of Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is that is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo is a belief system that teaches that humans are one with Hanulnim the God of the Sun, and that heavenly blessings can be derived through good works.
All of this has created an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Several studies have shown that students with a religious background are more hesitant when learning about evolution than those who are not religious. The reasons behind this aren't clear. One reason is that students who have religious beliefs tend to be as knowledgeable about scientific concepts and theories and are therefore more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another reason could be that students who have religious backgrounds may see evolution as a concept that is atheistic, making them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have raised concern within the scientific community. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that nearly 40% of Americans believed that biological evolution was a myth and that it would be in conflict with their religious beliefs. Many scientists believe that despite the success of creationism, the best way to combat this movement is to educate the public on the evidence for evolution.
Scientists have a responsibility to educate their students about science including the theory of evolution. They must also inform the public about the research process and the way in which knowledge is confirmed. They must explain how scientific theories are often challenged and modified. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of research conducted by scientists often create anti-evolution beliefs.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a hunch or guess. In the field of science, however, an hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical evidence is used to confirm it. A theory that is repeatedly tested and observed becomes a scientific principle.
The debate over evolution theory is a great occasion to discuss both the importance of scientific method and its limits. It is essential to realize that science is unable to answer questions about the meaning or meaning of life but only provides a mechanism by which living things can grow and change.
Moreover, a well-rounded education must include exposure to all the major scientific fields that include evolutionary biology. This is essential because a variety of jobs and decisions require people understand the way science works.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed through time. A recent study that predicted the adults' opinions of the consensus on this subject found that those with higher education levels and science knowledge were more likely to believe there is a general consensus among scientists about human evolution. Those who have more religious beliefs and less science knowledge tend to be more skeptical. It is critical that educators insist on the importance of knowing the general consensus on this issue, so that people are able to making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy use, and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a cousin of the popular evolutionary theory. It explores how humans and other organisms learn from each other. Researchers in this field utilize explanation models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists, and they go back to human prehistory to determine the origins of our capacity for culture.
This method also acknowledges that there are differences between cultural and biological traits. While biological traits are largely acquired at once (in sexual species, at fertilization), cultural traits can be acquired over a long period of time. The acquisition of one characteristic may affect the development and growth of another.
In Korea for instance the emergence of Western fashion elements in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century was a result of a variety of events. One of the most significant was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western clothing styles and hairstyles to Korean society.
When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to change. At the close of World War II, Korea was once more united but this time under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the country's economy has grown consistently over the past decade and is expected to sustain its steady growth in the near future.
The current government has many challenges to face. The inability of the government to come up with an effective strategy to tackle the current economic crisis is one the most significant challenges. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the country's policies particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports which could not last.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government must reconsider its economic strategy and come up with alternatives to increase domestic demand. It also needs to reform the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems that are currently in place to ensure a stable financial environment. This chapter provides a variety of scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop in the post-crisis era.
4. Evolution and Education
One of the biggest challenges for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts in a way that is suitable for students of different ages and developmental stages. Teachers should, for instance, be sensitive to the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a learning environment where students with both secular and religious beliefs are comfortable. Teachers should also be able to identify common misconceptions about evolution and be able to address them in the classroom. Teachers should also have quick access to the various resources available to teach evolution.
In this context, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing together evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of disciplines to discuss best methods for teaching about evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies as well as educational researchers, officials of government funding agencies, and curriculum developers. The convergence of diverse participants helped to identify the common recommendations that will form the basis for any future actions.
One important recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be incorporated in every science curriculum 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. 에볼루션 슬롯게임 from the NRC offers guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution in the life science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more comprehensive teaching of evolution is associated with more knowledge and belief in the existence of evolution. It is difficult to quantify the causal effects of evolution in the classroom since school curricula do not change on a regular basis and are influenced by the timing of state board of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this problem, i use a longitudinal data set that gives me control for the fixed effects of state and years as well as individual-level differences in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the idea that more experienced faculty are less likely to avoid teaching about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to employ strategies like a reconciliatory method which is used to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.