The Most Hilarious Complaints We've Been Hearing About Evolution Korea
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Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept across Asia caused a major review of the traditional system of government, 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 eliminate examples of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the avian ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has pushed textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution from high school science texts. The move was a result of a campaign run by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) an independent affiliate of the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to clear biology books of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that this kind of materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students, and could lead to their eventual denial of faith.
Scientists around the globe expressed concern when the STR campaign made headlines. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul wrote in an email to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was backed up by colleagues from across the country, who set up a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Some scientists are worried that the STR will spread to other parts around the world, where creationism is growing. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will intensify pressure for revisions to textbooks in other countries, notably those with strong Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the evolution debate. 26 percent of the nation's residents belong to one of the religious groups, and most practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, many Koreans adhere to the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and individual 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 by doing good deeds.
All of this has provided fertile ground for the spread of creationism. Several studies have shown that students with religion-based backgrounds tend to be more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those who are not religious. The underlying causes are not obvious. One possible explanation is that students who have religious beliefs 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 students who have religious backgrounds may see evolution as a concept that is agnostic, making them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent times the scientific community has been concerned about anti-evolution efforts in schools. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that nearly 40 percent of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong and that a belief in it would conflict with their faith-based beliefs. Many scientists believe that despite the fact that creationism has been successful the best way to counter this belief is to educate the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are accountable for teaching their students science, which includes the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the public about the research process and the way in which knowledge is verified. They must also explain that theories of science are often challenged and reformulated. However, misunderstandings about the nature of research conducted by scientists often fuel anti-evolution beliefs.
For instance, many people confuse the term "theory" with the normal meaning of the word - a hunch or guess. In science, however the hypothesis is tested thoroughly and empirical evidence is used to prove it. A theory that is repeatedly tested and observed is then a scientific principle.
The debate about the evolutionary theory provides a great opportunity to discuss the significance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential for people to understand that science cannot answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life, but it is merely a means through which living organisms can develop and adapt.
A comprehensive education should include exposure to all major scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs people are employed in and the choices they make require understanding of how science functions.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have evolved through time. A recent study predicting adults' view of the consensus around this issue found that those who had higher levels of education and science knowledge were more likely to believe there is a general consensus among scientists about human evolution. People with a higher level of religious belief but less science knowledge tend to be more divided. It is essential that teachers stress the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, to enable people to make informed choices about the use of energy, health care, and other policy matters.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to the mainstream evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution focuses on the various ways humans--and other organisms--learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this field use explanatory tools and investigative models that are adapted from evolutionary theorists and reach back to human prehistory to determine the origins of culture.
This approach also acknowledges the distinction between traits that are cultural and biological. While biological traits are largely acquired at once (in sexual species, at fertilization), cultural traits can be acquired over a protracted period of time. The acquisition of a cultural characteristic can affect the growth and development of another.
In Korea the introduction of Western styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was the result of an intricate sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothing styles to Korean society.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s, a few of these changes began to reverse. By the end World War II, Korea was once more united but this time under the Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the country's economy has been growing steadily over the last decade and is set to sustain its steady growth in the future.
However, the current government faces numerous challenges. The government's inability to formulate a coherent strategy to deal with the current economic crisis is one of the most significant challenges. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses of the country's economy policies, particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports that may not be sustainable over the long term.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government needs to review its economic strategy and find alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It must also overhaul the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems in place to guarantee the stability of the financial system. This chapter presents several scenarios for how the Korean economy could develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution check here and Education
One of the biggest challenges for evolution educators is how to present evolutionary concepts in a way that is suitable for students of different ages and developmental stages. For example, teachers must be sensitive to the religious diversity of their classrooms and create an environment where students with religious and secular views feel comfortable in learning about evolution. Additionally, teachers must recognize the most common misconceptions about evolution and how to deal with these in their classrooms. Teachers must also have quick access to the many resources available to teach evolution.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played an important role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from various sectors to discuss the best methods of teaching Evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies as well as educational researchers, officials from government funding agencies and curriculum designers. The convergence of various stakeholders led to the development of some common guidelines that will form the basis for any future actions.
A key recommendation is that the subject of evolution should be integrated in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) that call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences with the developmentally appropriate, are a way to achieve this goal. A new publication from the NRC provides guidance to schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that a more comprehensive presentation of evolution is linked to greater student understanding and belief in evolution. However the estimation of causal effects in the classroom is challenging due to the fact that school curriculums are not randomly assigned and change over time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and state board of education appointments. To overcome this issue I employ a longitudinal data set that allows me to control for fixed state and year effects and the individual-level variation in the beliefs of teachers about the evolution of their curriculum.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution also report fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the hypothesis that more confident faculty are less likely to avoid teaching about evolution in the classroom, and could be more likely to employ strategies such as a reconciliatory approach known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.