Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that hit Asia caused a major review of the traditional system of government, business alliances, as well the public management of risks. In Korea this meant a shift in the model of development.
In a controversial move, South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers to ignore calls to eliminate examples of evolution in science books for high school students. These include the evidence for the evolution of horses and the Avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has persuaded textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high school science texts. The Society for Textbook Revise, an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research that wants to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims that this kind of materialistic thinking creates a negative picture for students and can lead to their eventual denial of faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign made headlines. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an open letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. His colleagues backed him from all over the country, who formed a group named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some researchers are concerned that the STR could spread to other parts around the globe, where the belief in creationism has been growing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution movement putting more pressure on textbook revisions, especially in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly strong cultural background for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of the nation's citizens belong to one of the religious groups, and most adhere to Christianity or Buddhism. Additionally, a large portion of Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that human beings are one with Hanulnim the God of the Sun, and that heavenly blessings can be derived by doing good deeds.
All of this has made creationism a fertile ground. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have a religious background tend to be more uncomfortable about learning evolution than those who do not have a religious background. The underlying causes of this phenomenon remain not clear. Students who are religious may be less experienced with scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to the creationists influence. Another reason could be that students who have a religious background are more likely to see evolution as an atheistic concept and therefore less comfortable with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, the scientific community has been concerned about anti-evolution efforts in schools. A study conducted in 2009 found that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong and that believing in it could be in conflict with their religious beliefs. Many scientists believe that despite the popularity of creationism the best method to stop this movement is to educate the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists have a duty to teach 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 verified. They must explain how scientific theories are often challenged and modified. However, misconceptions about the nature of scientific research frequently fuel anti-evolution beliefs.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a guess or a guess. In science, however an hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical evidence is used to prove it. A theory that has survived repeated testing and observation is a scientific principle.
에볼루션 룰렛 on evolution theory is an excellent occasion to discuss both the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial that people understand that science does not provide answers to questions about life's purpose or meaning, but rather provides a mechanism for living things to evolve and change.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education should include exposure to the vast majority of scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because the jobs that people have and the choices they make require understanding of how science functions.
The majority of scientists across the world agree that humans have evolved over time. In a recent study that predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus on this topic, those with higher levels education and knowledge of science were found to be more likely to believe that there is wide agreement among scientists about human evolution. Those who have more religious faith and less science knowledge are more likely to disapprove. It is important that educators insist on the importance of understanding this consensus so that people can make informed decisions regarding the use of energy, health care and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to the mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution studies the numerous ways humans--and other organisms--learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this field utilize elaborate models and tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists. they reach back into human prehistory to determine the genesis of our capacity for culture.
This method also acknowledges the distinction between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits are acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are mostly inherited simultaneously (in sexual species at fertilization). As a result, the acquisition of one cultural trait may affect the development of another.
In Korea For instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th centuries was the result of a complex series of events. One of the most important was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western hairstyles and clothing styles to Korean society.
When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, some of these trends began to reverse. At the end of World War II, Korea was once again united, this time under the Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the financial crisis of recent Korea's economy has been growing at a steady pace over the last decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the coming years.
The current government is faced with many challenges. One of the most significant is its inability to develop a coherent policy to address the economic crisis. The crisis has exposed shortcomings in the policies of the country and its reliance on exports and foreign investment, which may not last.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government needs to reconsider its economic strategy and look for alternatives to boost domestic demand. It must also revamp the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems that are currently in place to create an environment that is stable for the financial sector. This chapter outlines several scenarios of how the Korean economy could grow after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for evolution educators is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different ages and stages of development. Teachers, for instance, must be aware of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a space that students who have religious and secular views feel comfortable learning evolution. Moreover, teachers need to recognize the most common misconceptions about evolution and how to address them in their classrooms. Additionally, teachers should be able to access a range of resources available to teach evolution and be able to locate them quickly.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played a significant role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best methods for teaching about Evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies as well as educational researchers, officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of different stakeholders led to the development of some common guidelines that will serve as the basis for any future actions.
A key recommendation is that the study of evolution should be included in every science curriculum at every level. To achieve this goal it is recommended that the National Science Education Standards (NRC) call for evolution to be taught in a seamless way across the life sciences with a progression of concepts that are developmental appropriate. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC provides guidance to schools on how they can integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Multiple studies have shown that a more thorough explanation of evolution can lead to greater student understanding and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom is difficult due to the fact that school curriculums are not assigned randomly and change over time because of the predetermined timing of gubernatorial elections and state board of education appointments. To overcome this limitation I utilize an ongoing data set that allows me to account for fixed state and year effects as well as individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about changes in the curriculum.
Another significant finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching about evolution report having fewer personal barriers to teaching it. This is in line with the idea that more confident faculty are less likely to be hesitant about evolution-related topics in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to use strategies such as a reconciliatory approach known to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.