Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that struck Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old model of government-business alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea this meant a shift in the development paradigm.
In a controversial move, South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers to ignore requests to remove examples of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This includes the evidence of the evolution of horses and of the avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A group of creationists in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to exclude evidence of evolution from high school science texts. This was the result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that this kind of materialistic views create a negative image for students and can lead to their eventual loss of faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign made headlines. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature evolutionary biologist Jae Choe from Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in to religious prejudice. He was backed by colleagues around the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition to protest the changes to the textbooks.
Some scientists are worried that the STR could be spread to other regions of the globe, including areas where the belief in creationism has been 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 populations.
South Korea has a particularly strong cultural background for the debate about evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religion, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo - a philosophy based upon Confucian principles that is a strong advocate of social harmony, individual self-cultivation, and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo is a way of teaching that the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that the heavenly blessings are achievable through the good works of one's.
All of this has made creationism a fertile field. Several studies have shown that students with religious backgrounds tend to be more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those who are not religious. However, the root causes of this phenomenon remain not clear. 무료에볼루션 who are religious may not be as experienced with scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to creationists and their influence. Another possibility is that students who have religious beliefs are more likely to see evolution as an atheistic concept and therefore less at ease with it.
2. page and Science
In recent years the scientific community has been concerned about the anti-evolution agenda in schools. A study conducted in 2009 found that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true and that a belief in it would conflict with their convictions about religion. Many scientists believe that, despite the popularity of creationism the best method to combat this movement is to educate the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are responsible to teach their students science, which includes the theory of evolution. They must also inform people about the process of science and how knowledge from science is gathered and confirmed. They should explain how scientific theories are often challenged and changed. However, misconceptions about nature and purpose of research can lead to a negative view of evolution.
For example, some people may confuse the word "theory" with the normal meaning of the word, which is a hunch or guess. In the realm of science the theory is thoroughly tested and verified using empirical evidence. A theory that is able to withstand repeated testing and observation is an established scientific principle.
The debate about evolutionary theory is an excellent opportunity to discuss the significance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential to understand that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but rather allows living things to grow and adapt.
A comprehensive education should include exposure to all major scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs that people have and the choices they make require understanding of how science functions.
The vast majority of scientists around the world believe that humans have evolved through time. In a recent study, which predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus on this topic those with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide agreement among scientists about human evolution. Those with more religious faith but less scientific knowledge tend to be more divided. It is crucial that educators stress the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, to enable people to make informed decisions regarding health care, energy usage and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin to mainstream evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution focuses on the various ways humans--and other organisms--learn from and with each other. Researchers in this field utilize explanation models and tools that are adapted from the ones used by evolutionary theorists. they reach back into human prehistory to discover the genesis of our capacity for culture.
This method also acknowledges the difference between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually while biological traits are usually acquired simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). As a result, the acquisition of one trait may affect the development of another.
In Korea the introduction of Western style elements in the late nineteenth and early 20th century was the result of an intricate sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothing.
When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, some of these trends began to change. At the close of World War II, Korea was once more united and was again under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the financial crisis of recent, Korea's economy has been growing consistently over the last decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the near future.
The current government is facing a variety of challenges. The inability of the government to develop a coherent plan to tackle the current economic crisis is one the biggest challenges. The crisis has revealed the shortcomings of the country's economic policies, including its excessive dependence on foreign investment and exports, which may not be sustainable over the long term.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government has to review its economic strategy and find alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It will also have to overhaul the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems that are currently in place to create the stability of the financial system. This chapter provides a number of scenarios for how the Korean economy could develop post-crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
One of the biggest challenges for evolution educators is how to present evolutionary concepts in a manner that is appropriate for students of various levels of development and ages. Teachers should, for instance be aware of the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a welcoming environment where students with both secular and religious beliefs are at ease. Teachers must also recognize common misconceptions about evolution, and how to address them in their classrooms. Teachers must also have quick access to the many resources that can be used to teach evolution.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played a significant role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from different sectors to discuss best practices for teaching Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, government funding agency officials and curriculum developers. The convergence of different stakeholders led to the development of the common recommendations that will serve as the basis for future actions.
It is crucial to include evolution in all science curricula at every level. To achieve this it is recommended that the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a unified way across the life sciences with a progression of concepts that are developmental appropriate. A new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools about how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Several studies have found that a more comprehensive teaching of evolution can lead to more knowledge and belief in evolution. It is difficult to quantify the causality of teaching in the classroom, since the curriculum for schools do not change on a regular basis and are dependent on the timing of the state board of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this limitation I use a longitudinal data set that gives me to control state and years fixed effects and individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Another important finding is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching about evolution report having fewer intrapersonal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the hypothesis 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 such as the reconciliatory method known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.