Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept across Asia prompted a major reappraisal the old system of government and business alliances, and public management of risk. In Korea this meant a change in the model of development.
In a controversial move, South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers not to comply with calls to remove examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses as well as the avian ancestor 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 decision was the result of a campaign run by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) which is an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that this kind of materialistic thinking creates a negative picture for students, and could lead to their eventual denial of faith.
Scientists from all over the world expressed concern when the STR campaign gained attention. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an open letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was backed by colleagues around the country, who set up an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Researchers are concerned 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-evolutionist movement will push for textbook revisions in other countries, particularly those with strong Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea has a particularly strong cultural background for the evolution debate. 26 percent of the nation's residents belong to a religious denomination and the majority practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many 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 human beings are in a relationship with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that heaven-bound blessings can be obtained through the good deeds of a person.
All of this has created a fertile field. Several studies have shown that students with religion-based backgrounds are more hesitant when learning about evolution than those without religion. However, the root causes of this phenomenon are not known. One possible explanation is that students with a religious background tend not to be as knowledgeable about scientific theories and concepts and are therefore more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another possible factor is that students who have religious beliefs tend to view evolution as a religious concept and therefore less comfortable with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution programs in schools have caused concern within the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed nearly 40 percent of Americans believed that biological evolution was wrong and that it could conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the success of creationism in certain states, many scientists feel that the best way to combat this inclination is not to be actively involved in it, but to inform the public on the evidence for evolution.
Scientists have a responsibility to instruct their students in science and the theory of evolution. They must also inform the public about the scientific process and how knowledge is collected and verified. They should also explain that scientific theories are frequently challenged and revised. However, misperceptions about the nature of research conducted by scientists often fuel anti-evolution beliefs.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a hunch, or a guess. In science, however a hypothesis is rigorously tested, and empirical data is used to prove it. A theory that is able to withstand repeated testing and observation is a scientific principle.
The debate about the evolutionary theory provides a great occasion to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is important to understand that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but allows living things to develop and change.
A well-rounded education should also include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs that people have and the decisions they make require understanding of how science functions.
The vast majority of scientists across the world accept that humans have changed over time. A recent study that predicted the adults' views of the consensus on this issue found that those with higher education levels and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a general consensus among scientists on the subject of human evolution. People with more religious beliefs and less science-based knowledge are more likely to disagree. It is crucial that teachers emphasize the importance of understanding the general consensus on this issue to ensure that people are able to making informed choices about their health care, energy usage and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin 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 explanatory models and investigative tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists. they reach back into human prehistory to determine the origins of our capacity to learn about culture.
This approach also recognizes the differences between biological and cultural characteristics. Cultural traits are acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are usually acquired simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). The acquisition of a cultural characteristic can influence the development and growth of a different.
In Korea, the adoption of Western style elements in the latter part of the nineteenth and early 20th century was the result of a complex sequence of events. One of the most important was the appearance in Korea of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.
Then, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began change. By the end of World War II, Korea had once again unified, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown steadily in the past decade and is poised to continue its healthy growth in the near future.
The current government is confronted with a variety of challenges. The government's inability to formulate an effective strategy to address the current economic crisis is one the most significant challenges. The crisis has revealed the weaknesses of the country's economic policies, mainly its overreliance on exports and foreign investment, which may not be sustainable over the long term.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government has to reconsider its economic strategy and find alternatives to boost domestic demand. It will also have to revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems currently in place to ensure a stable financial environment. This chapter presents several scenarios on how the Korean economy could develop post-crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various stages of development and ages. For instance, teachers need to be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a space where students with religious and secular views feel comfortable in learning about evolution. Additionally, teachers must recognize common misconceptions about evolution and how to address these in their classrooms. Teachers must also be able to access a range of resources available for teaching evolution and be able to locate them quickly.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played an important role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from different sectors to discuss the best practices for teaching Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies, educational research, officials from government funding agencies and curriculum developers. The convergence of diverse stakeholders led to the development of a set of shared recommendations that will serve as the foundation for future actions.
One important recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be included in all science curricula at any level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a way to accomplish this goal. A new publication from the NRC provides guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Numerous studies have shown that a more thorough teaching of evolution is linked to greater student knowledge and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom is challenging given that school curricula are not randomly assigned and evolve in time as a result of the predetermined timeframe of gubernatorial elections as well as state board of education appointments. To overcome 에볼루션 무료 바카라 utilize an ongoing data set that allows me to account for state and year fixed effects and the individual-level variation in teacher beliefs regarding changes in the curriculum.
Another important finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching about evolution report having fewer personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the notion that more experienced faculty are less likely to avoid teaching about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to employ strategies like a reconciliatory method which is used to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.