A Proficient Rant About Evolution Korea
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Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept across Asia led to a major rethinking of the old system of government and business alliances, and public management of risks. In Korea, this meant a shift in the model of development.
In a controversial decision, South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers to ignore requests to remove examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes evidence for the evolution of horses and the avian 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 move was a result of a campaign by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology books of "atheist materialism." The STR asserts that such materialism creates negative images to students, leading them to abandon their faith.
When the STR's campaign hit the news, scientists from all over the world expressed concern. 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 up by colleagues from across the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Some scientists are also worried that the STR campaign will be spread to other regions of the world where the prevalence of creationism is rising. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution campaign increasing pressure on textbook revisions, specifically in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea's culture is particularly strong for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of the country's citizens are members of an organized religion and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy founded on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo is a belief system that teaches that humans are one with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that heavenly blessings can be obtained by doing good deeds.
All of this has made creationism a fertile ground. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have religious backgrounds are more hesitant about learning evolution than those who do not have a religious background. The reasons behind this aren't evident. One reason is that students who have a religious background tend not to be as well-versed in scientific theories and concepts which makes them more susceptible to the influence of creationists. Another possible factor is that students with a religious background are more likely to see evolution as a religious concept and therefore less at ease with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution programs in schools have caused concern among the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed nearly 40 percent of Americans believed that biological evolution was a myth and that it would conflict their religious beliefs. Despite the popularity of creationism in some states, many scientists feel that the best strategy to stop this trend is not to be actively involved in with it, but rather educate people about the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are accountable to teach their students science, which includes the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the public about the research process and how knowledge is confirmed. They should also explain that theories of science are often challenged and re-examined. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of research can fuel anti-evolution views.
For example, some people may confuse the word "theory" with the normal meaning of the word, which is a hunch or a guess. In science, however an hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical data is used to prove it. A theory that has survived repeated testing and observation is an established scientific principle.
The debate over evolution theory is a great opportunity to discuss both the importance of scientific method and its limitations. It is essential to understand that science is not able to answer questions about the purpose of life or meaning, but instead allows living things to evolve and adapt.
A well-rounded education should include exposure to the vast majority of scientific fields, including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because a lot of jobs and choices require individuals understand the way science operates.
The vast majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed over time. In a recent study that predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus on this topic, those with higher levels education and knowledge of science were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide agreement among scientists regarding human evolution. People with a higher level of religious belief but less scientific knowledge tend to disagree more. It is essential that educators insist on the importance of knowing the consensus on this issue, so that people have a solid basis for making informed decisions about their health care, energy usage and other policy issues.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close cousin of the popular evolutionary theory. It focuses on how humans and other organisms learn from one another. Researchers in this area use explanatory tools and investigative models derived from evolutionary theorists and go back to prehistoric times to determine the earliest sources of culture.
This approach also acknowledges the difference between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits are acquired slowly while biological traits are usually acquired simultaneously (in sexual species at fertilization). The acquisition of a cultural characteristic may affect the development and growth of a different.
In Korea, for example, the adoption of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th centuries was the result of a complex series of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothing.
After that, when Japan departed Korea in the 1930s, some of these trends began to change. At the close of World War II, Korea was united once more, this time under the Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown steadily in the past decade and is expected to continue its healthy growth in the future.
However, the current administration is facing a variety of challenges. The inability of the government to come up with a coherent strategy to tackle the current economic crisis is one of the most significant challenges. The crisis has exposed the shortcomings of the country's economic policies, mainly its overreliance on foreign investment and exports that may not be sustainable in the long run.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government must reconsider its economic strategy and find alternatives to increase domestic demand. It will also have to revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and click here discipline 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 might develop after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution lies in how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different ages and stages of development. Teachers must, for example be aware of the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create an environment where students of both religious and secular beliefs are comfortable. Moreover, teachers need to recognize the most common misconceptions about evolution and how to address them in their classrooms. Teachers must also be able to access a range of resources that are available to teach evolution and be able to locate them quickly.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss best methods for teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse groups resulted in a consensus set of recommendations that will be the foundation for future actions.
One important recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be incorporated in all science curricula at any level. To achieve this it is recommended that the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a seamless manner across all sciences, with a progression of ideas that are developmentally appropriate. A new publication from NRC provides guidance to schools about how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of evolution can lead to more knowledge and belief in evolution. It is difficult to quantify the causal effects of evolution in the classroom since the curriculum for schools do not change randomly and are affected by the timing of state boards of education and the gubernatorial election. To overcome this problem, I use a longitudinal data set which lets me control for fixed state and year effects and the individual-level variation in the beliefs of teachers about the evolution of their curriculum.
Another important result is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report having fewer personal barriers to doing so. This is consistent with the idea that a more confident faculty is less likely to avoid evolution topics in the classroom. Additionally, they might be more likely employ strategies, such as the reconciliatory approach that has been proven to increase undergraduate student acceptance of evolution (Harms and Reiss, 2019; Tolman et al., 2020).