Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of business-government alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea, that meant an evolution of the development model.
In a controversial decision, the South Korean government has requested publishers of textbooks to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution from science texts for high school students. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses as well as the bird ancestral Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent offshoot from the Korea Association for Creation Research that wants to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims that such materialism creates an image of negativity for students, causing them to lose faith.
When the STR's campaign hit the news, scientists across the world expressed alarm. 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 around the country, who formed an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition to protest the changes to the textbooks.
Some scientists are worried that the STR could expand to other parts of the world, where 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 has a particularly significant cultural context for the debate about evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are part of a religious group and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo, an ideology based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo teaches the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that the heavenly blessings are possible by doing good deeds.
All of this has provided an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have religion-based backgrounds are more hesitant about learning evolution than those who do not have a religious background. The causes behind this are not clear. Students who have a religious background may be less familiar with the theories of science, making them more susceptible to the creationists' influence. Another factor could be that students who have religious backgrounds might view evolution as a concept that is not a religion, which makes them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution 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 not true and that believing in it would be contrary to their convictions about religion. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in certain states, many scientists believe that the best strategy to counter this movement is not to actively engage in it, but to inform the public on the evidence for evolution.
Scientists are responsible to teach their students science, which includes the theory of evolution. They must also inform the public about the research process and how knowledge is verified. They should also explain that scientific theories are frequently challenged and revised. However, misconceptions about the nature and purpose of scientific research can lead to a negative view of evolution.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a hunch, or a guess. In science, however, the hypothesis is tested thoroughly and empirical data is used to verify it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly is then a scientific principle.
The debate about evolution theory is a great chance to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial that people understand that science is not able to provide answers to questions about life's purpose or meaning, but allows living things to grow and adapt.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education should include exposure to all the major scientific fields that include evolutionary biology. This is crucial because a lot of jobs and decisions require that people understand how science operates.
The vast majority of scientists around the world believe that humans have changed over time. In a recent study that predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus on this subject people with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely believe there is a wide agreement among scientists about the evolution of humans. The people with more religious beliefs and less knowledge of science are more likely to disapprove. It is essential that educators insist on understanding the consensus on this issue to ensure that individuals have a solid foundation for making informed choices about their health care, energy use and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a cousin of mainstream evolutionary theory. It examines how humans and other organisms learn from each other. Researchers in this field use elaborate 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 difference between cultural and biological traits. While biological traits are typically acquired at once (in sexual species, at fertilization) however, cultural traits can be acquired over a lengthy period of time. In the end, the acquisition of one trait can influence the development of another.
In Korea the emergence of Western styles in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the result an intricate sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.
Then, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a portion of these trends began to change. At the end of World War II, Korea was once more united and again under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite 에볼루션 바카라사이트 , the country's economy has grown steadily in the past decade and is set to maintain its steady growth in the coming years.
The current administration is faced with a variety of challenges. The government's inability to formulate an effective strategy to deal with the current economic crisis is among the biggest challenges. The crisis has revealed the weaknesses of the country's economic policies, mainly its overreliance on foreign investment and exports that may not be sustainable over the long term.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government needs to rethink its economic strategy and find alternatives to boost domestic demand. To ensure a stable financial climate the government needs to reform its incentive system, monitoring and discipline. This chapter provides a number of scenarios of how the Korean economy could develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for evolution educators lies in how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various ages and stages of development. For example, teachers must be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create an environment where students with both secular and religious views are comfortable with learning about evolution. Additionally, teachers must understand common misconceptions about evolution and how to address these in their classrooms. Teachers must also have quick access to the various resources that can be used to teach evolution.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played a significant role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from various sectors to discuss best methods for teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational research organizations, as well as officials from government funding agencies and curriculum developers. The convergence of different stakeholders helped identify a set of shared recommendations that will serve as the basis for future actions.
A key recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be included in all science curricula at any level. To achieve this the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a seamless manner across all life sciences using a sequence of concepts that are developmental appropriate. A new publication from the NRC provides guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution in the life science curriculum.
Several studies have found that a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of evolution is linked to greater student knowledge and belief in the concept of evolution. It is difficult to estimate causal effects in the classroom because the curriculum for schools do not change randomly and are dependent on the timing of state board of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this limitation I use an ongoing dataset that gives me control for the fixed effects of state and years and individual-level variations in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution also have less internal barriers. This is in line with the hypothesis that more experienced faculty are less likely to avoid evolution-related topics in the classroom, and could be more likely to employ strategies like a reconciliatory method that is known to boost the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.