Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that struck Asia required a major review of the old system of business-government alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea this meant a change in the development paradigm.
In a controversial move, the South Korean government has asked publishers of textbooks to ignore calls for the removal of examples of evolution from science texts for high school students. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the bird an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group from South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to omit evidence of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to cleanse biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims such materialism portrays negative images to students, leading them to be skeptical.
When the STR's campaign made the news, scientists around the world expressed concern. In a letter to the editor of Nature evolutionary biologist Jae Choe at 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 gathered into an organization called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Researchers are also concerned about the possibility that the STR campaign could spread to other parts of the globe where the belief in the prevalence of creationism is rising. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement could intensify pressure for revisions to textbooks in other countries, particularly those with strong Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of the country's citizens are members of one of the religious groups and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo - the philosophy based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation, and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo teaches 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 a religious background tend to be more uncomfortable about learning evolution than those without religion. The underlying reasons for this phenomenon are not clear. One reason is that students with religious backgrounds tend to be as knowledgeable about scientific concepts and theories and are therefore more susceptible to the influence of creationists. Another reason could be that those with religious backgrounds may see evolution as an idea that is atheistic, making them feel uncomfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution campaigns in schools have raised concerns in the scientific community. A survey in 2009 revealed that 40% of Americans believed that biological evolution was not true and that it would be in conflict with their religious beliefs. 에볼루션 바카라 believe that despite the success of creationism, the best way to stop this movement is to educate the public about the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are accountable to teach their students science that includes the theory of evolution. They also need to inform people about the science process and how knowledge is collected and confirmed. They should explain how theories of science are often challenged and modified. However, misconceptions about the nature and purpose of research can fuel anti-evolution views.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a guess 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 an established scientific principle.
The debate over evolutionary theory is a good opportunity to discuss the significance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is important for people to understand that science cannot answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life it only serves as a mechanism through which living organisms can evolve and change.
A well-rounded education should include exposure to all the major scientific fields that include evolutionary biology. This is essential because a variety of jobs and decisions require that people understand how science operates.
The majority of scientists across the world agree that humans have evolved over time. A recent study predicting adults' views of the consensus around this issue found that those with higher levels of education and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a broad agreement between scientists regarding human evolution. The people with more religious beliefs and less science-based knowledge tend to be more skeptical. It is essential that teachers stress the importance of understanding this consensus to enable people to make informed decisions about energy use, health care and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative 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 utilize elaborate models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists, and they reach back into human prehistory to determine the origins of our capacity to learn about culture.
This approach also recognizes the differences between the characteristics of culture and biological. Cultural traits can be acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are typically acquired simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). The acquisition of one cultural characteristic can affect the development and growth of another.
In Korea For instance, the adoption of Western fashion elements in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century was the result of a variety of events. One of the most important was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and styles of clothing to Korean society.
Then, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to revert. At the close 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 financial crisis of recent, Korea's economy has been growing at a steady pace over the last decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the near future.
The current government is faced with a variety of challenges. One of the most serious is its inability to develop an effective strategy to address the economic crisis. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses of the country's policies and its reliance on exports and foreign investment which could not last.
The crisis has shaken confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government must reconsider its strategy and come up with ways to increase domestic demand. To ensure a stable financial climate the government needs to overhaul its incentive and monitoring systems, as well as discipline and monitoring. This chapter provides a variety of scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop in the post-crisis era.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for evolution educators is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various stages of development and ages. For instance, teachers need to be sensitive to the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a space that students who have secular and religious views feel comfortable learning evolution. Teachers should also be able to identify common misconceptions about evolution and know how to address them in the classroom. Finally, teachers must have access to a variety of resources for teaching evolution and be able to find them quickly.
In this context, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step in bringing together evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of fields to discuss best methods for teaching about evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as officials from government funding agencies, and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse parties helped to identify a shared set of recommendations that will be the basis for future actions.
It is essential to incorporate evolution in all science curricula at every level. To achieve this goal, the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a seamless way across the life sciences, with a progression of concepts that are developmental appropriate. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC offers guidelines to schools on how they can integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have shown that a more complete explanation of evolution can lead to a greater understanding of students 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 randomly assigned and change over time as a result of the predetermined timing of gubernatorial elections and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this issue I utilize a longitudinal data set which allows me to account for fixed state and year effects as well as individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolution.
Another important result is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching evolution report having less personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the idea that more experienced faculty are less likely to be hesitant about questions about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to employ strategies such as a reconciliatory approach known to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.