Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept Asia required a major review of the old system of government-business alliances and public management of private risks. In Korea, this meant a shift 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 evidence for 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 exclude evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. This was the result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) which is an affiliate of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology books of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that this kind of materialistic views create a negative image for students and leads 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, 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 gathered into a group called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some researchers are concerned that the STR could expand to other parts of the globe, where creationism has been on the rise. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement could increase pressure for textbook revisions in other countries, particularly those with strong Christian and Muslim population.
The South Korean culture is especially strong in the debate over evolution. Twenty-six percent of the country's citizens are members of one of the religious groups and the majority practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, a lot of Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is founded on Confucian principles that emphasizes social harmony and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that the human being is one with Hanulnim the God of Sun and that heavenly blessings are achievable through the good works of one's.
All of this has made creationism fertile ground. Numerous studies have found that students with a religious background to be more uncomfortable learning about evolution than those who do not. The underlying causes are not obvious. One explanation is that students with a religious background tend not to be as well-versed in scientific concepts and theories which makes them more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another possibility is that students who have a religious background are more likely to see evolution as a religious concept, which may make them less comfortable with the idea.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have raised concerns among the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed that nearly 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true and that believing in it could be in conflict with their faith-based beliefs. Despite the popularity of creationism in some states, a lot of scientists believe that the best method to counter this movement is not to engage it, but to inform the public about the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists have a duty to instruct their students in science including the theory of evolution. They must also inform the general public about the process of science and how knowledge from science is collected and verified. They must explain how theories of science are frequently challenged and changed. However, misconceptions about the nature and purpose of scientific research can lead to anti-evolution beliefs.
For example, some people may confuse the word "theory" with the everyday meaning of the word - a hunch or guess. In the realm of science theories are rigorously tested and verified through empirical data. A theory that survives repeated testing and observation becomes a scientific principle.
The debate about the theory of evolution is a wonderful occasion to discuss both the importance of scientific method and its limits. It is crucial that people understand that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but provides a mechanism for living things to grow and adapt.
A well-rounded education must include exposure to all the major scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is important because many jobs and decisions require people know how science operates.
에볼루션 카지노 사이트 of scientists across the world accept that humans have changed over time. A recent study that predicted the adults' views of the consensus around this issue found that those with higher levels of education and science knowledge were more likely to believe there is a general consensus among scientists about human evolution. The people who have more religious beliefs but less scientific knowledge tend to disagree more. It is crucial that teachers emphasize the importance of knowing the consensus on this issue to ensure that people have a solid foundation for making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy use and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin to mainstream evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution studies the numerous ways that humans and other species learn from and interact with each other. Researchers in this area use explanation tools and 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 traits that are cultural and biological. While biological traits are typically acquired at once (in sexual species, after fertilization) however, cultural traits can be acquired over a lengthy period of time. As a result, the acquisition of one characteristic can affect the development of another.
In Korea the emergence 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 important was the appearance in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.
After that, when Japan departed Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began reverse. By the end World War II, Korea was once more united and again under the Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the recent financial crisis the economy of Korea has been growing steadily over the past decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the coming years.
The current government has many challenges to face. One of the most serious is its inability to find a consistent policy to deal with the economic crisis. The crisis has exposed shortcomings in the policies of the country particularly its dependence on exports and foreign investment that may not last.
Since the financial crisis has destroyed the confidence of investors, the government has to rethink its economic strategy and look for alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It must also reform the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems currently in place to ensure an environment that is stable for the financial sector. This chapter provides a variety of scenarios of how the Korean economy could grow in the post-crisis period.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for evolution educators is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various levels of development and ages. Teachers must, for example be mindful of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a learning environment where students with both secular and religious beliefs are comfortable. Teachers must also be able recognize common misconceptions regarding evolution and know how to correct them in the classroom. Finally, teachers must have access to a variety of resources to teach evolution and be able locate them quickly.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss best practices for teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as officials from government funding agencies and curriculum designers. The convergence of these diverse groups resulted in a consensus set of recommendations that will serve as the basis for future actions.
One important recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be included in every science curriculum 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 sciences with a progression of concepts that are developmental appropriate. A new publication from NRC offers guidance to schools about how to integrate evolution in the life science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more comprehensive teaching of evolution is associated with more knowledge and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine the causal impact of teaching in the classroom is a challenge given that school curricula are not assigned randomly and evolve in time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and state board of education appointments. To overcome this issue I use an ongoing dataset that gives me control for the effects of years and states fixed and individual-level variations in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Another important finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching evolution report having fewer personal barriers to teaching it. This is in line with the hypothesis that faculty who are more confident are less likely to be hesitant about questions about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to use strategies such as the reconciliatory method known to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.