Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old model of government-business alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea this required a change in the development model.
In a controversial move, South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers not to comply with calls to eliminate examples of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the bird ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A group of creationists in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to omit evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. The move was a result of a campaign run by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) which is an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to clear biology books of "atheist materialism." The STR asserts that such materialism creates a negative image for students, causing them to be skeptical.
Scientists around the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign gained attention. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature evolutionary biologist Jae Choe from Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in to religious prejudice. He was backed by colleagues around the country, who set up an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Some scientists are also worried about the possibility that the STR campaign will spread to other regions of the world, where the spread of creationism is increasing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution campaign increasing pressure on textbook revisions, specifically in countries with large Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea's culture is particularly strong in the debate over evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religious group and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, a lot of Koreans adhere to the philosophy of Ch'ondogyo. It is 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 the heavenly blessings can be obtained through good works.
All of this has provided fertile ground for the spread of creationism. Multiple studies have shown students who have a religious background to be more uncomfortable learning about evolution than those who do not. The underlying causes are not obvious. One reason is that students with religious backgrounds tend to be as well-versed in scientific concepts and theories, which makes them more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another factor could be that students with a religious background may view evolution as a belief system that is not a religion, which makes them feel uncomfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A 2009 survey revealed 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 success of creationism the best way to combat this movement is to educate the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are accountable to instruct their students in science including the theory of evolution. They must also inform people about the process of science and how knowledge is collected and confirmed. They must also clarify that scientific theories are frequently challenged and reformulated. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of research can fuel anti-evolution views.
For example, some people are able to confuse the term "theory" with the normal meaning of the word - a guess or a guess. In science, however a hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical evidence is used to prove it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly is then a scientific principle.
The debate about evolution theory is a great occasion to discuss both the importance of scientific method and its limitations. It is important that people understand that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but instead allows living things to evolve and adapt.
에볼루션카지노 -rounded education should also include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs people are employed in and the choices they make require understanding of how science functions.
The vast majority of scientists around the world believe that humans have evolved over time. In a study that predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus around this issue those with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide agreement among scientists regarding the evolution of humans. People with a higher level of religious belief but less science knowledge tend to disagree more. It is essential that teachers insist on the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, so that people can make informed decisions about energy use, health care, and other policy matters.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close relative of mainstream evolutionary theory. It explores how humans and other organisms learn from each other. Researchers in this field use explanation models and tools that are adapted from the ones used by evolutionary theorists, and they look back to human prehistory to discover the origins of our capacity to learn about culture.
This approach also acknowledges the differences between biological and cultural characteristics. While biological traits are typically inherited all at once (in sexual species, during fertilization), cultural traits can be acquired over a protracted period of time. In the end, the acquisition of one trait can influence the development of another.
In Korea, the adoption of Western style elements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was the result of an elaborate sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothing.
When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to reverse. At the close of World War II, Korea was once more united, this time 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 future.
The current government is confronted by a myriad of problems. The inability of the government to come up with a coherent strategy to tackle the current economic crisis is one the biggest obstacles. The crisis has revealed the shortcomings of the country's economic policies, particularly its dependence on exports and foreign investment that may not be sustainable over the long term.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government has to rethink its economic strategy and look for alternatives to boost domestic demand. To ensure a stable and stable financial environment the government needs to overhaul its incentive and monitoring systems, as well as discipline and monitoring. This chapter presents several scenarios for how the Korean economy could grow in a post-crisis environment.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various stages of development and ages. For instance, teachers need to be aware of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a space where students with both religious and secular beliefs feel comfortable learning evolution. Teachers must also be able to identify common misconceptions about evolution and know how to address them in the classroom. Finally, teachers must have access to a range of resources that are available for teaching evolution and be able locate them quickly.
In this regard the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the most effective methods of teaching evolution. The participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational researchers, government funding agency officials and curriculum designers. The convergence of these diverse stakeholders resulted in a consensus set of recommendations that will be the basis for future action.
It is crucial to include evolution in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a good way to accomplish this goal. A new publication from the NRC offers guidelines to schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that a more thorough presentation of evolution leads to greater student understanding and belief in evolution. However the estimation of the causal effect of evolution in the classroom is challenging due to the fact that school curriculums are not assigned randomly and evolve over time because of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this problem I use a longitudinal dataset that allows me control for the fixed effects of state and years as well as individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Another important finding is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report having less personal barriers to teaching it. This is in line with the idea that more confident faculty are less likely to avoid evolution-related topics in the classroom, and may be more inclined to employ strategies such as the reconciliatory method which is used to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.