Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that struck Asia required a major review of the old model of government-business alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea, that meant a shift in the development paradigm.
In a controversial move South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers not to comply with calls to eliminate examples of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This includes evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the bird ancestral 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 Society for Textbook Revise, an independent offshoot from the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to cleanse biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the move. The STR claims that this kind of materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students and leads to their eventual loss of faith.
When the STR's ad campaign made the news, scientists from all over the globe expressed worry. In a letter 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 supported by colleagues from all over the country, who formed a group named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some scientists are also worried about the possibility that the STR campaign could spread to other parts of the world where the belief in creationism is on the rise. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolutionist campaign putting pressure on textbook revisions, specifically 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 citizens are members of an organized religion, and most practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy based 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 the heavenly blessings can be obtained through good works.
All of this has created an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have religious backgrounds tend to be more uncomfortable about learning evolution than those without religion. The causes behind this are not evident. Students who are religious may be less familiar with scientific theories, making them more susceptible to the creationists influence. Another possible factor is that students who have religious backgrounds tend to view evolution as an atheistic concept, which may make them less at ease with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A 2009 survey revealed nearly 40% of Americans believed that biological evolution was not true and that it could conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the popularity of creationism in some states, many scientists believe that the best strategy to combat this inclination is not to be actively involved in it, but to educate the public about the evidence for evolution.
Scientists have a duty to teach their students about science including the theory of evolution. They should also inform people about the science process and how knowledge is collected and validated. They must also clarify that scientific theories are often challenged and revised. However, misunderstandings about the nature of scientific research frequently cause people to believe that evolution is not real.
For instance, many people are able to confuse the term "theory" with the common meaning of the word, which is a hunch or guess. In science, however the hypothesis is tested thoroughly and empirical evidence is used to confirm it. A theory that survives repeated testing and observation is a scientific principle.
The debate on evolution theory is a great occasion to discuss both the importance of scientific method and its limitations. It is important that people understand that science does not answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but provides a mechanism for living things to develop and change.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education must include exposure to all major fields of science, including evolutionary biology. This is important because many jobs and decisions require that people know the way science works.
The vast majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have evolved over time. In a study that predicted adults' views of 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 human evolution. The people who have more religious beliefs but less knowledge of science tend to be more divided. It is essential that educators insist on understanding the consensus on this issue to ensure that individuals have a solid basis for making informed choices about their health care, energy use, and other policy issues.
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 with one another. Researchers in this field use elaborate models and tools that are adapted from the ones used by evolutionary theorists, and they look back to human prehistory to find out the origins of our capacity to learn about culture.
This approach also recognizes the differences between biological and cultural characteristics. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually, whereas biological traits are usually acquired simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). The acquisition of one cultural characteristic can influence the growth and development of a different.
In 에볼루션 코리아 , the adoption of Western style elements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was the result of a complex sequence 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 trends began to reverse. By the end of World War II, Korea had once again unified and was again under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent financial crisis the economy of Korea has been growing steadily over the last decade. It is anticipated to continue to grow in the near future.
The current government faces numerous challenges. The inability of the government to develop a coherent strategy to address the current economic crisis is among the biggest challenges. The crisis has exposed weaknesses of the country's policies particularly its dependence on exports and foreign investment that may not last.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government must reconsider its strategy and come up with other ways to increase domestic demand. It must also revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems currently in place to create an environment that is stable for the financial sector. This chapter outlines several scenarios of how the Korean economy could develop after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various stages of development and ages. Teachers should, for instance be mindful of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a welcoming environment where students with both religious and secular perspectives feel comfortable. Teachers should be able to recognize common misconceptions regarding evolution and know how to correct them in the classroom. Teachers must also be able to access a range of resources that are available 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 best practices for teaching evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies, educational research, officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum designers. The convergence of various participants helped to identify the common recommendations that will serve as the basis for future actions.
One of the most important recommendations is that the teaching of evolution should be incorporated in every science curriculum at every 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 one way to achieve this goal. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC provides guidance to schools on how they can integrate evolution into their life science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more thorough teaching of evolution can lead to more knowledge and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom is challenging because school curriculums are not assigned randomly and change over time as a result of the predetermined timeframe of gubernatorial elections as well as appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this limitation, I use a longitudinal data set which lets me control for fixed state and year effects and the individual-level variation in teacher beliefs about evolution.
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 confident faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more likely to employ strategies such as the reconciliatory method known to increase the students' understanding of evolution.