Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that struck Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of government-business alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea, this meant a shift in the model of development.
In a controversial move, South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers to ignore requests to remove examples of evolution from high school science books. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the avian ancestral Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group from South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to exclude evidence of evolution from high school science texts. This was the result of a campaign by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research which aims to get rid of biology textbooks of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that such materialism creates an image of negativity for students, making them lose faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign gained attention. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature the evolutionary biologist Jae Choe from Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in to religious prejudice. His colleagues backed him from around the country who gathered into a group named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some researchers are concerned that the STR will expand to other parts of the world, where creationism is growing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution campaign increasing pressure on textbook revisions, especially in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea's cultural background is particularly strong in the debate over evolution. 26 percent of the nation's citizens are members of one of the religious groups and the majority practice Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also follow Ch'ondogyo, the philosophy based on Confucian principles, which is a strong advocate of social harmony, individual self-cultivation, and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo believes that humans are in a relationship with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that the heavenly blessings are possible by doing good deeds.
All of this has provided fertile ground for the spread of creationism. A number of studies have demonstrated that students with religious backgrounds tend to be more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those who do not have a religious background. The underlying reasons for this phenomenon are unclear. Students who have a religious background might be less knowledgeable about scientific theories, making them more vulnerable to creationists and their influence. Another possibility is that students who have religious beliefs tend to view evolution as a religious concept, which may make them less comfortable with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution programs in schools have raised concerns within the scientific community. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that nearly 40% of Americans believed that biological evolution was not true and that it would be in conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in some states, a lot of scientists believe that the best way to combat this inclination is not to engage with it, but rather educate people about the evidence for evolution.
Scientists are responsible for teaching their students science that includes the theory of evolution. They must also educate the public on the process of scientific research and how knowledge is validated. They must also clarify that scientific theories are often challenged and revised. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of research conducted by scientists often create anti-evolution beliefs.
Some people interpret the term "theory" as a hunch, or a guess. In science, however the theory is thoroughly tested and verified using empirical evidence. A theory that is able to withstand repeated testing and observations becomes an established scientific principle.
The debate on evolution theory is a great chance to discuss the importance of scientific methodology and its limitations. It is crucial for people to recognize that science is not able to answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life it only serves as a mechanism that allows living things to evolve and change.
Moreover, a well-rounded education should cover all major fields of science, including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because a lot of jobs and decisions require that individuals understand the way science works.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have evolved through time. A recent study that predicted the adults' opinions of the consensus on this issue found that those who had higher levels of education and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a general consensus between scientists regarding human evolution. People with more religious beliefs and less science knowledge are more likely to disagree. It is crucial that educators stress the importance of understanding this consensus, to enable people to make informed decisions regarding 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 humans--and other organisms--learn from and with each other. Researchers in this field utilize elaborate models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists, and they look back to human prehistory to discover the origins of our capacity for culture.
This approach also acknowledges the difference between biological and cultural traits. While biological traits are largely acquired in one go (in sexual species, during fertilization) but cultural traits can be acquired over a protracted period of time. This means that the acquisition of one characteristic can affect the development of another.
In Korea the introduction 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 hairstyles and styles of clothing to Korean society.
After that, when Japan departed Korea in the 1930s, a portion of those trends began to revert. At the close of World War II, Korea was once more united, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the country's economy has grown steadily in the last decade and is expected to sustain its steady growth in the future.
The current government faces numerous challenges. The inability of the government to develop a coherent strategy to deal with the current economic crisis is one the most significant challenges. The crisis has exposed weaknesses of the country's economy policies, including its excessive dependence on exports and foreign investment that may not be sustainable in the long run.
Since the financial crisis has destroyed the confidence of investors, the government has to review its economic strategy and come up with alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It must also overhaul the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems that are currently in place to ensure the stability of the financial system. This chapter provides a number of scenarios on how the Korean economy could grow in a post-crisis environment.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for evolution educators is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different stages of development and ages. Teachers must, for example be aware of the diversity of religions within their classrooms and create an environment where students with both secular and religious beliefs are comfortable. Additionally, teachers must recognize the most common misconceptions about evolution and how to confront them in their classrooms. Teachers must also have easy access to the many resources that can be used to teach evolution.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played a significant role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best practices for teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, officials from government funding agencies and curriculum developers. 에볼루션 바카라 사이트 of these diverse parties resulted in a consensus set of recommendations that will form the basis for future action.
It is important to include evolution in all science curricula, at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) that call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are one way to accomplish this goal. A new publication from NRC provides guidelines for schools on how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more complete presentation of evolution leads to better understanding by students and belief in the existence of evolution. However the estimation of causal effects in the classroom is difficult because school curriculums are not randomly assigned and change 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 employ a longitudinal data set that lets me control for state and year fixed effects and the individual-level variation in teacher beliefs regarding the evolution of their curriculum.
Another important finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching evolution report having fewer personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the hypothesis that faculty who are more confident are less likely to avoid teaching about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to use strategies like a reconciliatory method that is known to boost the students' understanding of evolution.