24 Hours To Improving Evolution Korea
Evolution Korea
The economic crisis which swept Asia led to a major rethinking of the old system of government and business alliances, and public management of risk. In Korea this meant a shift in the development paradigm.
In a controversial move, South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers to ignore requests to eliminate examples of evolution from high school science books. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses and the avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has persuaded textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. The decision was the result of a campaign by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent affiliate of the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to clear textbooks on biology of "atheist materialism." 에볼루션 게이밍 claims that such materialism creates negative images to students, leading them to abandon their faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed concern when the STR campaign was featured in the news. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an email to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was backed up by colleagues around the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the textbook changes.
Some researchers are worried about the possibility that the STR campaign will spread to other regions of the world, where the prevalence of creationism is rising. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement will intensify pressure for revisions to textbooks in other countries, notably those with large Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the evolution debate. 26 percent of the country's citizens belong to one of the religious groups, and most practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to the philosophy of Ch'ondogyo. It is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo is a way of teaching that the human being is one with Hanulnim the God of Sun, and that divine blessings can be achieved through good works.
All of this has created a fertile ground. Numerous studies have revealed that students with religious backgrounds to be more reluctant to learn about evolution than those who do not. The underlying causes are not evident. Students who have a religious background may not be as experienced with scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to the creationists influence. Another reason could be that students who have religious backgrounds might view evolution as an idea that is not a religion, which makes them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have caused concern in the scientific community. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that over 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong and that believing in it would be contrary to their convictions about religion. Despite the success of creationism in some states, many scientists feel that the best method to combat this inclination is not to actively engage in with it, but rather educate people about the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are required to teach their students about science and the theory of evolution. They must also inform people about the science process, and how scientific knowledge is gathered and confirmed. They must explain how theories of science are frequently challenged and modified. However, misconceptions about nature and purpose of research can fuel anti-evolution views.
Many people mistake the term "theory" as a hunch or a guess. In science, however the hypothesis is tested thoroughly and empirical evidence is used to prove it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principal.
The debate over evolution theory is a great chance to discuss the importance of scientific method and its limitations. It is important to understand that science cannot provide answers to questions about life's purpose or meaning, but provides a mechanism for living things to grow and evolve.
A well-rounded education should also include exposure to all major scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs people are employed in and the decisions they make require understanding of how science works.
The majority of scientists around world agree that humans have evolved over time. In a study that predicted the views of adults on the consensus on this subject people with higher levels of education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely believe that there is wide agreement among scientists about the evolution of humans. The people who have more religious beliefs but less science knowledge tend to be more divided. It is crucial that teachers insist on understanding the consensus on this issue to ensure that individuals have a solid foundation for making informed decisions about their health care, energy use and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to the mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution explores the many ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and with each other. Researchers in this field use elaborate models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists. they reach back into human prehistory to discover the genesis of our capacity for cultural understanding.
This method also acknowledges that there are differences between biological and cultural characteristics. Cultural traits are acquired slowly while biological traits are mostly inherited at the same time (in sexual species, at fertilization). In the end, the acquisition of one cultural characteristic can affect the development of another.
In Korea, for example the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the 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 Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these changes began to reverse. By the end World War II, Korea was once more united, this time under the Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent financial crisis Korea's economy has been growing steadily over the last decade. It is anticipated to continue to grow in the future.
The current administration is faced with many challenges. The government's inability to formulate a coherent plan to deal with the current economic crisis is one the most significant challenges. The crisis has revealed the weaknesses of the country's economy policies, mainly its overreliance on exports and foreign investment which might not be sustainable over the long term.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. As a result, the government has to reconsider its strategy and come up with other ways to boost the domestic demand. To ensure a stable financial climate, the government will have reform its incentive and monitoring systems, as well as discipline and monitoring. original site provides a number of scenarios of how the Korean economy could develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different levels of development and ages. Teachers, for instance, must be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a setting where students with both religious and secular views are comfortable with learning about evolution. Teachers should also be able recognize common misconceptions about evolution and be able to address them in the classroom. Teachers must also have access to a variety of resources that are available to teach evolution and be able locate them quickly.
In this regard the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step towards bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best methods for teaching evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational research organizations, as well as officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of various stakeholders led to the development of the common recommendations that will form the foundation for future actions.
It is essential to incorporate evolution in all science curricula, at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC), which call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences with a progression that is developmentally appropriate, are a good way to accomplish this goal. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools on how they can integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more complete presentation of evolution leads to greater student understanding and belief in the existence of evolution. However, estimating causal effects in the classroom is challenging due to the fact that school curriculums are not assigned randomly and evolve in time as a result of the predetermined timeframe of gubernatorial elections as well as state board of education appointments. To overcome this limitation I utilize a longitudinal data set which lets me control for state and year fixed effects and individual-level variation in teacher beliefs about evolution.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution have fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the hypothesis that more experienced faculty are less likely to be hesitant about evolution-related topics in the classroom, and could be more inclined to employ strategies such as a reconciliatory approach that is known to boost the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.