Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept Asia required a major review of the old system of government-business alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea this meant a shift in the development paradigm.
In a controversial move South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers to ignore requests to eliminate examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses and the bird ancestral 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 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 this kind of materialistic views create a negative image for students, and could lead to their eventual loss of faith.
Scientists from all over the world expressed concerns when the STR campaign made headlines. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature the 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 from all over the country who formed an organization called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some researchers are concerned that the STR will expand to other parts of the globe, where creationism is on the rise. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolutionist campaign putting pressure on textbook revisions, particularly in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly strong cultural background for the evolution debate. 26 percent of the country's residents belong to a religious denomination and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. Additionally, a large portion of Koreans adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy 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 heavenly blessings can be obtained through good works.
All of this has made creationism fertile field. Multiple studies have shown students who have religious backgrounds to be more reluctant to learn about evolution as compared to those who do not. The underlying causes are not clear. Students who are religious may be less familiar with scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to the creationists influence. Another factor could be that students with religious backgrounds may see evolution as an idea that is agnostic, making them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have caused concern among 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 could be in conflict with their convictions about religion. Many scientists believe that despite the popularity of creationism the best method to counter this belief is to educate the public on the evidence for evolution.
Scientists have a duty to instruct their students in science and the theory of evolution. They should also inform people about the scientific process and how knowledge from science is gathered and validated. They must also explain that scientific theories are often challenged and revised. However, misconceptions about the nature and purpose of research can fuel anti-evolution views.
Many people mistake the term "theory" as a guess, or a guess. In science, however, a hypothesis is rigorously tested, and empirical data is used to verify it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principle.
The debate over the theory of evolution is a wonderful occasion to discuss both the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential to be aware that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but instead allows living things to grow and evolve.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education should include exposure to all the major scientific fields, including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because the jobs people are employed in and the choices they make require knowledge of how science works.
The majority of scientists across the world believe that humans have changed over time. A recent study that predicted the adults' opinions of the consensus on this issue found that those who had higher levels of education and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a general consensus between scientists regarding human evolution. The people with more religious beliefs and have less science-based knowledge are more likely to disagree. It is critical that educators insist on the importance of knowing the consensus on this issue to ensure that people are able to making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy usage and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to the mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution focuses on the various ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this field use explanation models and tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists. they go back to human prehistory to determine the genesis of our capacity for culture.
This approach also recognizes that there are some differences between cultural and biological traits. While biological traits are typically inherited all at once (in sexual species, during fertilization) but cultural traits can be acquired over a lengthy period of time. The acquisition of one cultural characteristic can influence the growth and development of another.
In Korea for instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the late 19th and early 20th century was a result of a variety of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.
After that, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to reverse. By the end of World War II, Korea was once again united, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the country's economy has grown steadily in the last decade and is set to sustain its steady growth in the coming years.
The current government faces numerous challenges. The government's inability to formulate a coherent strategy to deal with the current economic crisis is one the most significant challenges. The crisis has revealed the shortcomings of the country's economic policies, mainly its overreliance on foreign investment and exports which might not be sustainable in the long run.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. This means that the government has to reconsider its approach and find ways to increase domestic demand. It will also have to overhaul the incentive monitoring, monitoring, and discipline systems that are currently in place to create a stable financial environment. This chapter provides a variety of scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop in the post-crisis era.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for teachers of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different levels of development and ages. Teachers need to, for instance be mindful of the diversity of religions within their classrooms and create a learning environment where students from both secular and religious beliefs are comfortable. Moreover, teachers need to understand common misconceptions about evolution, and how to address them in their classrooms. Teachers must also have quick access to the various resources to teach evolution.
In this context, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step in bringing together evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of sectors to discuss the most effective methods of teaching about evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, government funding agency officials and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse parties helped to identify a shared set of recommendations that will form the basis for future action.
A key recommendation is that the subject of evolution should be included in every science curriculum at every level. To accomplish this the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a unified manner across all sciences, with a progression of ideas that are developmentally appropriate. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools on how they can integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Multiple studies have shown that a more complete explanation of evolution can lead to a greater understanding of students and belief in evolution. It is difficult to quantify the causality of teaching in the classroom since school curricula don't change randomly and are dependent on the timing of state boards of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this problem I employ a longitudinal data set that gives me to control for the effects of years and states fixed as well as individual-level variations in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Another important finding is that teachers who are more comfortable with teaching evolution report having less personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the hypothesis that more confident faculty are less likely to avoid evolution-related topics in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to employ strategies like a reconciliatory method known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.