Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept Asia required a major review of the old system of government-business alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea, that required a change in the development paradigm.
In a controversial move South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers to ignore requests to eliminate examples of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses as well as the avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group from 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 decision. The STR asserts that such materialism creates negative images to students, leading them to abandon their faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed concerns when the STR campaign was featured in the news. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul wrote in an open letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. His colleagues backed him from all over the country who formed an organization called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Researchers are also worried that the STR campaign will be spread to other regions of the world where creationism is on the rise. 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.
The South Korean culture is particularly strong for the evolution debate. 26 percent of South Koreans are members of a religion with the majority of them practicing Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is founded on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo believes that humans are in a relationship with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that heavenly blessings can be derived through good works.
All of this has made creationism a fertile field. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have a religious background to be more uncomfortable learning about evolution than those who do not. The reasons behind this aren't clear. Students with a religious background may not be as knowledgeable about scientific theories, making them more susceptible to creationists and their influence. Another reason could be that students with a religious background may view evolution as a concept that is agnostic, making them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have raised concerns among the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is a lie and that a belief in it would be contrary to their faith-based beliefs. Despite the popularity of creationism in certain states, many scientists feel that the best method to combat this inclination is not to engage it, but to inform the public on the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are accountable for teaching their students science including the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the general public about the process of science, and how scientific knowledge is collected and validated. They should also clarify that scientific theories are often challenged and revised. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of research conducted by scientists often fuel anti-evolution beliefs.
Many people mistake the term "theory" as a hunch or guess. In science, however an hypothesis is rigorously tested, and empirical data is used to verify it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly is then a scientific principle.
The debate over evolutionary theory is an excellent opportunity to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial to realize that science is not able to answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life, but only provides a mechanism through which living organisms can develop and adapt.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education should include exposure to all major fields of science that include evolutionary biology. This is crucial because a lot of jobs and choices require individuals understand how science works.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have evolved through time. In a study that predicted adults' views of the consensus on this topic those with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely believe that there is wide agreement among scientists regarding human evolution. People with more religious beliefs and have less science knowledge are more likely to disagree. It is crucial that educators stress the importance of understanding this consensus so that people can make informed decisions about energy use, health care, and other policy matters.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin to mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution explores the many ways that humans and other species learn from and with one another. Researchers in this field employ elaborate tools and investigative models adapted from evolutionary theorists and go back to the prehistoric human to find the origins of culture.
This approach also recognizes that there are differences between biological and cultural characteristics. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually, whereas biological traits are mostly inherited simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). The acquisition of one cultural characteristic may affect the development and growth of a different.
In Korea for instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century was a result of a complex series 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 에볼루션 카지노 left Korea in the 1930s, some of these trends began to revert. At the end of World War II, Korea was united once more, this time under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the financial crisis of recent, Korea's economy has been growing steadily over the past decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the coming years.
The current government is confronted with many challenges. The government's inability to formulate a coherent strategy to address the current economic crisis is among the most significant challenges. The crisis has revealed the weaknesses of the country's economy policies, including its excessive dependence on foreign investment and exports which might not be sustainable over the long term.
The crisis has shaken confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government has to rethink its strategy and find other ways to boost the domestic demand. To ensure a stable economic climate the government will need reform its incentive system, monitoring and discipline. This chapter offers a number of scenarios of how the Korean economy could grow after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for teachers of evolution is 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 religious and secular beliefs feel comfortable learning evolution. Teachers must also recognize the most common misconceptions about evolution and how to deal with them in their classrooms. Finally, teachers must have access to a range of resources to teach evolution and be able to find them quickly.
In this regard the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of fields to discuss most effective methods of teaching evolution. The participants included representatives from scientific societies, educational researchers, officials from government funding agencies and curriculum designers. The convergence of these diverse stakeholders resulted in a consensus set of recommendations that will form the basis for future action.
One important recommendation is that the study of evolution should be incorporated in every science curriculum at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC), which call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a method to achieve this goal. A new publication from NRC offers guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Numerous studies have shown that a more thorough teaching of evolution can lead to more knowledge and belief in evolution. However the estimation of the causal impact of teaching in the classroom is challenging given that school curricula are not randomly assigned and change over time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and state board of education appointments. To overcome this limitation I utilize a longitudinal data set that lets me control for state and year fixed effects as well as individual-level variations in the beliefs of teachers about changes in the curriculum.
Teachers who are more comfortable in teaching evolution have less internal barriers. This is in line with the idea that more confident faculty are less likely to avoid teaching about evolution in the classroom, and may be more inclined to employ strategies such as a reconciliatory approach which is used to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.