Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit 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 visit this site , South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers to ignore calls to eliminate examples of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses and the avian 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 independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research which aims to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR asserts that such materialism creates an image of negativity for students, causing them to be skeptical.
Scientists from all over the world 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. His colleagues backed him from around the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some scientists are worried that the STR could expand to other parts of the globe, including areas where creationism is on the rise. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will increase pressure for textbook revisions in other countries, especially those with strong Christian and Muslim populations.
The South Korean culture is especially strong in the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religious community and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to the philosophy of Ch'ondogyo. It is founded on Confucian principles that emphasizes social harmony and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that heavenly blessings can be achieved through good works.
All of this has made creationism a fertile ground. Numerous studies have revealed that students with religion-based backgrounds tend to feel more uncomfortable about learning about evolution than students without religion. However, the underlying reasons for this phenomenon are not known. Students who have a religious background may be less knowledgeable about 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 concept and therefore less comfortable with the idea.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A study conducted in 2009 found that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong, and that a belief in it could be in conflict with their convictions about religion. Many scientists believe that, despite the fact that creationism has been successful the best way to stop this movement is to educate the public about the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists have a responsibility to educate their students about science and the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the general public about the science process and how knowledge from science is gathered and validated. They must explain how scientific theories are often challenged and changed. However, misconceptions about the nature and purpose of scientific research can fuel anti-evolution views.
For example, some people may confuse the word "theory" with the normal meaning of the word, which is a hunch or guess. In science, however the theory is rigorously tested and verified with empirical evidence. A theory that has survived repeated testing and observation is a scientific concept.
The debate on the theory of evolution is a wonderful chance to discuss the importance of scientific methodology and its limitations. It is essential that people understand that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but rather provides a mechanism for living things to develop and change.
A well-rounded education must include exposure to the major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is essential because a variety of jobs and choices require individuals understand the way science operates.
The vast majority of scientists around the world accept that humans have changed over time. A recent study that predicted the adults' view of the consensus around this issue found that those who had higher levels of education and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a broad agreement among scientists on the subject of human evolution. The people with more religious faith and less science knowledge are more likely to disapprove. It is important that educators stress the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, to enable people to make informed decisions about energy use, health care and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin to the popular evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution focuses on the various ways that humans and other species learn from and with each other. Researchers in this field use elaborate models and tools that are adapted from the ones used by evolutionary theorists. they go back to human prehistory to find out the genesis of our capacity for cultural understanding.
This approach also acknowledges that there are some differences between the characteristics of culture and biological. Cultural traits can be acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are usually acquired simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). The acquisition of one characteristic can affect the development and growth of another.
In Korea for instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th century and the early 20th century was the result of a variety of events. One of the most significant was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western clothing styles and hairstyles to Korean society.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s, some of these trends began to change. At the close of World War II, Korea was united once more and again under the Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the recent financial crisis, Korea's economy has been growing at a steady pace over the past decade. It is anticipated to continue to grow in the coming years.
The current government is faced by a myriad of problems. The inability of the government to develop a coherent strategy to deal with the current economic crisis is among the biggest obstacles. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the country's policies particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports that may not last.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government must rethink its economic strategy and find alternatives to increase domestic demand. To ensure a stable economic climate the government needs reform its incentive and monitoring systems, as well as discipline and monitoring. This chapter outlines several scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various ages and stages of development. Teachers, for instance, must be sensitive to the religious diversity of their classrooms and create a space where students with religious and secular views feel comfortable learning evolution. Teachers must be able to recognize common misconceptions regarding evolution and know how to address them in the classroom. Finally, teachers must be able to access a range of resources available to teach evolution and be able to locate them quickly.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss best methods of teaching Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, government funding agency officials and curriculum designers. The convergence of diverse stakeholders led to the development of some common guidelines that will form the foundation for future actions.
It is essential to incorporate evolution in all science curricula, at every level. To accomplish this, the National Science Education Standards (NRC) call for evolution to be taught in an integrated manner across all sciences using a sequence of concepts that are developmental appropriate. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC offers guidelines to schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of evolution is linked to higher levels of student understanding and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom is difficult given that school curricula are not randomly assigned and evolve in time as a result of the predetermined timing of gubernatorial elections and state board of education appointments. To overcome this limitation I utilize a longitudinal data set that allows me to account for fixed state and year effects and the individual-level variation in teacher beliefs regarding changes in the curriculum.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution have fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the notion that more confident faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom, and may be more inclined to use strategies such as the reconciliatory method known to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.