Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit Asia forced a major reappraisal 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 move South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers not to comply with calls to remove examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses as well as the bird ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has pushed textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. The decision was the result of a campaign by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid textbooks on biology of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that such materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students and leads to their eventual loss of faith.
When the STR's campaign hit the news, scientists from all over the world expressed worry. In a letter to the editor of Nature, evolutionary biologist Jae Choe at 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 researchers are concerned that the STR will expand to other parts of the globe, where creationism is increasing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution campaign increasing pressure on textbook revisions, particularly in countries with large Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea's culture is particularly strong for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are members of a religious group, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also follow Ch'ondogyo, the philosophy based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo teaches that human beings are one with Hanulnim the God of the Sun, and that heavenly blessings can be obtained by doing good deeds.
All of this has created an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have religious backgrounds to be more hesitant to learn about evolution as compared to those who do not. The causes behind this are not obvious. Students who are religious may not be as knowledgeable about scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to creationists influence. Another factor could be that students who have a religious background may view evolution as a concept that is atheistic, making them feel uncomfortable.
2. 에볼루션 슬롯 and Science
In recent years scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A 2009 survey revealed nearly 40 percent of Americans believed that biological evolution was a myth and that it would conflict their religious beliefs. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in certain states, many scientists believe that the best method to stop this trend is not to engage it, but to inform the public on the evidence for evolution.
Scientists are responsible to instruct their students in science that includes the theory of evolution. They must also inform the general public about the process of science and how knowledge from science is gathered and confirmed. They must explain how theories of science are often challenged and changed. However, misconceptions about the nature of scientific research frequently cause people to believe that evolution is not real.
Many people mistake the term "theory" as a guess or guess. In the realm of science theories are thoroughly tested and verified using empirical data. A theory that is repeatedly tested and observed becomes a scientific principal.
The debate over evolution theory is an excellent opportunity to discuss both the importance of scientific methodology and its limitations. It is essential for people to recognize that science is unable to answer questions about the meaning or meaning of life but only provides a mechanism by which living things can develop and adapt.
A comprehensive education should include exposure to the major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is especially important since the jobs that people hold and the choices they make require understanding of how science works.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have evolved through time. In a recent study that predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus around this issue people with higher levels of education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely to believe that there is wide agreement among scientists about human evolution. People with a higher level of religious belief but less scientific knowledge tend to be more divided. It is crucial that teachers insist on the importance of knowing the consensus on this issue to ensure that people are able to making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy use and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to the mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution explores the many ways that humans and other species learn from and with one another. Researchers in this field utilize explanation models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists. they look back to human prehistory to determine the origins of our capacity for culture.
This approach also recognizes the difference between biological and cultural traits. While biological traits are typically inherited all at once (in sexual species, at fertilization) but cultural traits can be acquired over a long period of time. As a result, the emergence of one cultural trait can influence the development of another.
In Korea for instance, the adoption of Western fashion elements in the late 19th and early 20th century 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 clothing.
When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, some of those trends began to reverse. At the close of World War II, Korea had once again unified but this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown consistently over the past decade and is poised to maintain its steady growth in the near future.
The current administration is faced with many challenges. One of the most serious is its inability to develop a coherent policy to deal with the economic crisis. The crisis has revealed the weaknesses of the country's economic policies, including its excessive dependence on foreign investment and exports, which may not be sustainable in the long run.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government must reconsider its economic strategy and come up with alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It will also have to reform the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems that are currently in place to ensure the stability of the financial system. This chapter provides a number of scenarios for how the Korean economy could develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for teachers of evolution lies in how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various stages 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 of both religious and secular beliefs are at ease. Teachers should also be able recognize common misconceptions about evolution and be able to address them in the classroom. Teachers must also have access to a variety of resources available for teaching evolution and be able to locate them quickly.
In this context the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step towards bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best practices for teaching about evolution. The participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational researchers, government funding agency officials as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of various participants helped to identify some common guidelines that will form the basis for any future actions.
It is essential to incorporate evolution in all science curricula, at every level. To achieve this goal, the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a unified manner across all sciences using a sequence of concepts that are developmental appropriate. A new publication from the NRC offers guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have shown that a more thorough presentation of evolution is linked to better understanding by students and belief in the concept of evolution. It is difficult to quantify causal effects in the classroom since school curricula do not change in a random manner and are affected by the timing of the state board of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this limitation I employ a longitudinal data set that allows me to account for state and year fixed effects and individual-level variation in teacher beliefs about the evolution of their curriculum.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution also report fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the hypothesis that a more experienced faculty is less likely to avoid evolution topics in the classroom and could be more likely to use strategies such as a reconciliatory approach known to improve the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution (Harms and Reiss 2019; Tolman et al. 2020).