Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept across Asia prompted a major reappraisal the traditional system of government, business alliances, as well the public management of risk. In Korea this meant a shift in the development paradigm.
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. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the bird 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. 바카라 에볼루션 was the result of a campaign by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) an independent affiliate of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid textbooks on biology of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that this kind of materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students and can lead to their eventual denial of faith.
Scientists around the globe expressed concerns when the STR campaign was featured in the news. 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 up by colleagues from across 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 has been growing. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will push for textbook revisions in other countries, notably those with strong Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate about evolution. 26 percent of the nation's citizens belong to an organized religion, and most practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, a lot of Koreans adhere to the philosophy of Ch'ondogyo. It is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and personal self-cultivation. 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 good works.
All of this has provided an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have religious backgrounds are more hesitant about learning about evolution than students who do not have a religious background. The underlying causes are not clear. One reason is that students with religious backgrounds tend to be as knowledgeable about scientific concepts and theories, which makes them more susceptible to the influence of creationists. Another possibility is that students with a religious background are more likely to see evolution as an atheistic idea, which may make them less comfortable with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent times, scientists have 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 be contrary to their faith-based beliefs. Many scientists believe that, despite the popularity of creationism the best way to counter this belief is to educate the public on the evidence for evolution.
Scientists are accountable for teaching their students science, which includes the theory of evolution. They should also educate the public on the research process and how knowledge is verified. They must also explain how scientific theories are frequently challenged and revised. However, misconceptions about nature and purpose of research can fuel anti-evolution views.
Many people mistake the term "theory" as a guess, or a guess. In science, however, an hypothesis is rigorously tested, and empirical data is used to prove it. A theory that has survived repeated testing and observation is a scientific principle.
The debate over evolution theory is a great occasion to discuss both the importance of scientific methodology and its limits. It is important to understand that science cannot provide answers to questions about life's purpose or meaning, but instead offers a way for living things to grow and evolve.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education should cover all the major scientific fields, including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs that people hold and the choices they make require understanding of how science functions.
The vast majority scientists in the world agree that humans have evolved through time. In a recent study that predicted the views of adults on the consensus on this topic, those with higher levels education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely believe that there is a broad agreement among scientists about the evolution of humans. The people who have more religious beliefs but less knowledge of science tend to be more divided. It is essential that educators insist on knowing the consensus on this issue to ensure that individuals are able to making informed decisions about their health care, energy usage, and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close relative of mainstream evolutionary theory. It explores how organisms like humans learn from one another. Researchers in this field employ explanatory tools and investigative models that are adapted from evolutionary theorists and go back to human prehistory to find the earliest sources of culture.
This approach also acknowledges the distinction between biological and cultural traits. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually, whereas biological traits are mostly inherited simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). As a result, the emergence of one cultural trait can influence the development of another.
In Korea For instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the result of a complex series of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothing.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s some of these trends began to change. At the end of World War II, Korea was once again united and again under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown steadily in the last decade and is poised to maintain its steady growth in the future.
The current government is confronted by a myriad of problems. The government's inability to formulate an effective strategy to deal with the current economic crisis is one the most significant challenges. The crisis has revealed weaknesses in the country's policies, especially its over-reliance on foreign investment and exports, which may not last.
The financial crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government needs to reconsider its approach and find other ways to boost the domestic demand. To ensure a stable financial climate, the government will have to reform its incentive, monitoring and discipline systems. This chapter offers a variety of scenarios for how the Korean economy could develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution and Education
One of the biggest challenges for evolution educators is how to present evolutionary concepts in ways that are appropriate for students of various levels of development and ages. Teachers, for instance, must be sensitive to the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a space where students with both religious and secular beliefs are comfortable with learning about evolution. Teachers must be able to recognize common misconceptions regarding evolution and be able to correct them in the classroom. Teachers should also have quick access to the numerous 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 the best methods of teaching about Evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies, educational researchers, government funding agency officials, and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse parties led to the identification of a common set of recommendations that will be the foundation for future actions.
A key recommendation is that the study of evolution should be incorporated in every science curriculum at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences with a progression that is developmentally appropriate, are a good way to achieve this goal. A new publication from the NRC provides guidelines to schools about how to incorporate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Several studies have found that a more thorough teaching of evolution can lead to greater student knowledge and belief in evolution. However it is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom is challenging because school curriculums are not randomly assigned and change over time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and state board of education appointments. To overcome this problem I use a longitudinal data set that gives me to control the fixed effects of state and years and individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
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 hypothesis that faculty who are more confident 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.