Evolution Korea
The economic crisis which swept Asia caused a major review of the old system of government and business alliances, as well the public management of risks. In Korea this meant a change in the development paradigm.
In a controversial decision, the South Korean government has asked publishers of textbooks to ignore calls for the removal of examples of evolution in high school science texts. This includes the evidence for evolution of horses as well as the avian ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group from South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to omit evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent branch 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 views create a negative image for students and leads to their eventual denial of faith.
When the STR's ad campaign made the news, scientists around the globe expressed worry. In a letter to the editor of Nature evolutionary biologist Jae Choe of Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in to religious prejudice. He was backed up by colleagues across the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Researchers are also concerned about the possibility that the STR campaign could spread to other parts of the globe where the prevalence of creationism is rising. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will intensify pressure for revisions to textbooks in other countries, notably those with large Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea's cultural background is particularly strong in the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are part of a religious group, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Additionally, a large portion of Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is founded on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo is a belief system that teaches that humans are one with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that the heavenly blessings can be obtained through the good deeds of a person.
All of this has made creationism fertile field. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have a religious background tend to feel more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those who do not have a religious background. The underlying causes of this phenomenon are unclear. Students who have a religious background might be less knowledgeable about scientific theories, making them more vulnerable to creationists' influence. Another reason could be that those with religious backgrounds may see evolution as a belief system that is agnostic, making them feel uncomfortable.
2. click through the following article and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution programs in schools have raised concerns within the scientific community. A study conducted in 2009 found that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong and that believing in it would conflict with their faith-based beliefs. Many scientists believe that, despite the popularity of creationism the best method to stop this movement is to educate the public about the evidence for evolution.
Scientists are responsible for teaching their students science, which includes the theory of evolution. They should also inform the general public about the science process and how knowledge is gathered and confirmed. They must explain how scientific theories are frequently challenged and changed. However, misunderstandings about the nature of research conducted by scientists often fuel anti-evolution beliefs.
For instance, some people confuse the term "theory" with the common meaning of the word - a hunch or guess. In science, however, an hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical data is used to prove it. A theory that survives repeated testing and observations becomes a scientific principle.
The debate on the theory of evolution is a wonderful chance to discuss the importance of scientific methodology and its limits. It is important for people to understand that science cannot answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life, but it is merely a means by which living things can evolve and change.
A well-rounded education should also include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because the jobs that people have and the decisions they make require a understanding of how science works.
The vast majority of scientists around the world believe that humans have changed over time. In a recent study that predicted adults' views of the consensus on this subject people with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely believe that there is wide agreement among scientists about the evolution of humans. Those who have more religious beliefs and less science-based knowledge tend to be more skeptical. It is essential that teachers stress the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus to enable people to 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 explores the many ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this area use elaborate tools and investigative models derived from evolutionary theorists and reach back to prehistoric times to determine the origins of culture.
This approach also acknowledges the difference between traits that are cultural and biological. Cultural traits are acquired slowly while biological traits are mostly inherited at the same time (in sexual species, at fertilization). In the end, the acquisition of one cultural trait may affect the development of another.
In Korea the introduction of Western elements of style in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the result an elaborate sequence 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 left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these changes began to reverse. At the close of World War II, Korea had once again unified, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
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 last decade. It is expected to keep this trend going in the coming years.
The current government is confronted with a variety of challenges. 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 shortcomings in the policies of the country and its reliance on foreign investment and exports that may not last.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. As a result, the government must reconsider its approach and find other ways to increase domestic demand. It must also reform the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems 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 in the post-crisis era.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various levels of development and ages. For instance, teachers need to be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create an environment where students with religious and secular beliefs feel comfortable learning evolution. Moreover, teachers need to be aware of common misconceptions about evolution and how to confront these in their classrooms. Teachers should also have quick access to the many resources available to teach evolution.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing together evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of disciplines to discuss best practices for teaching about evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, officials from government funding agencies and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse stakeholders resulted in a consensus set of recommendations that will serve as the basis for future actions.
It is important to include evolution in all science curricula at every level. To achieve this goal the National Science Education Standards (NRC) call for evolution to be taught in a unified manner across all life sciences, with a progression of concepts that are developmental appropriate. A new publication from NRC offers guidance to schools about how to incorporate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Numerous studies have shown that a more thorough teaching of evolution is associated with more knowledge and belief in evolution. However, estimating the causal impact of teaching in the classroom is difficult due to the fact that school curriculums are not randomly assigned and change in time as a result of the predetermined timeframe of gubernatorial elections as well as appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this limitation, I use an ongoing data set that allows me to account for state and year fixed effects and individual-level variation in the beliefs of teachers about the evolution of their curriculum.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the idea that a more experienced faculty is less likely to avoid discussing evolution topics in the classroom and may be more likely to employ strategies, such as a reconciliatory approach known to increase undergraduate student acceptance of evolution (Harms and Reiss, 2019; Tolman et al. 2020).