Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit Asia required a major review of the old system of business-government alliances and public management 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 to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes the evidence for evolution of horses and of the Avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. 에볼루션 사이트 and Religion
A creationist group in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to exclude evidence of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. 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 move. The STR claims that such materialistic views create a negative image for students, and could lead to their eventual loss of faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign gained attention. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an open letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was supported by colleagues from across the country, who set up a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the textbook changes.
Some researchers are concerned that the STR will be spread to other regions of the globe, including areas where the belief in creationism has been increasing. 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's cultural background is especially strong in the debate on evolution. 26 percent of the nation's citizens are members of a religious denomination and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy that is based on Confucian principles which emphasizes harmony in society and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that human beings are in a relationship 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 with a religious background are more hesitant about learning about evolution than students who are not religious. The reasons behind this aren't evident. Students with a religious background might be less familiar with scientific theories, making them more vulnerable to creationists influence. Another possibility is that students who have religious backgrounds tend to view evolution as an atheistic idea and therefore less at ease with the idea.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution programs in schools have raised concern within the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed that over 40 percent of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true, and that a belief in it would be contrary to their convictions about religion. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in some states, a lot of scientists believe that the best strategy to counter this movement is not to engage it, but to educate the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are responsible to teach their students science including the theory of evolution. They must also educate the public on the research process and the way in which knowledge is validated. They should also clarify that scientific theories are frequently challenged and revised. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of scientific research can lead to a negative view of evolution.
For instance, many people confuse the term "theory" with the normal meaning of the word, which is a hunch or guess. In science, however, an hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical data is used to verify it. A theory that survives repeated testing and observations becomes a scientific principle.
The debate about the evolutionary theory provides a great opportunity to discuss the significance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial for people to recognize that science is not able to answer questions about the purpose or meaning of life, it only serves as a mechanism that allows living things to evolve and change.
A comprehensive education should include exposure to all major fields of science 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 around the world agree that humans have evolved through time. A recent study that predicted the adults' view of the consensus around this issue found that those with higher education levels and scientific knowledge were more likely to believe that there is a consensus among scientists about human evolution. Those with more religious faith but less scientific knowledge tend to disagree more. It is crucial that teachers insist on the importance of understanding the consensus on this issue, so that people have a solid basis for making informed decisions about their health care, energy usage and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to the popular evolutionary theory, cultural evolution studies the numerous ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this field use explanatory models and investigative tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists. they reach back into human prehistory to find out the origins of our capacity for culture.
This method also acknowledges the differences between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits are acquired slowly while biological traits are typically acquired at the same time (in the case of sexual species after fertilization). As a result, the acquisition of one trait can influence the development of another.
In Korea the emergence of Western elements of style in the late nineteenth and early 20th century was the result of an intricate sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.
After that, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, some of these trends began revert. At the close of World War II, Korea was once again united, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has been growing steadily over the past decade and is poised to continue its healthy growth in the future.
The current administration is faced by a myriad of problems. The government's inability to formulate an effective strategy to address the current economic crisis is one the biggest challenges. The crisis has revealed shortcomings in the policies of the country particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports that may not last.
The crisis has shaken confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government needs to reconsider its approach and find other ways to boost the domestic demand. It also needs to overhaul the incentive monitoring, monitoring, and discipline systems in place to guarantee an environment that is stable for the financial sector. This chapter outlines several scenarios of how the Korean economy could develop after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution lies in how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different ages and stages of development. For example, teachers must be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a setting where students with secular and religious views feel comfortable in learning about evolution. Teachers must also be able recognize common misconceptions regarding evolution and be able to correct them in the classroom. Teachers must also have easy access to the various resources that can be used to teach evolution.
In this regard the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step towards bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of fields to discuss best practices for teaching about evolution. The participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as officials of government funding agencies, and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse stakeholders led to the identification of a common set of recommendations that will be the foundation for future actions.
It is important to include evolution in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) that call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with the developmentally appropriate, are a method to achieve this goal. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC offers guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of evolution is linked to greater student knowledge and belief in the existence of evolution. It is difficult to determine the causal effects of evolution in the classroom because school curricula don't change on a regular basis and are influenced by the timing of the state board of education and the gubernatorial election. To overcome this issue I employ a longitudinal data set that lets me control for fixed state and year effects and the individual-level variation in teacher beliefs about changes in the curriculum.
Another significant finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching about evolution report having fewer intrapersonal barriers to doing so. This is consistent with the notion that a more experienced faculty is less likely to avoid tackling evolution topics in the classroom and may be more likely to employ strategies, such as a reconciliatory approach known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution (Harms and Reiss 2019; Tolman et al. 2020).