Evolution Korea
The economic crisis which swept Asia prompted a major reappraisal the traditional system of government, business alliances, as well the public management of risk. In Korea, that required a change in the development paradigm.
In a controversial decision the South Korean government has asked textbooks publishers to ignore calls for the removal of examples of evolution from science texts for high school students. These include the evidence for the evolution of horses as well as the avian ancestral Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has pushed textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. The decision was the result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent affiliate of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology books of "atheist materialism." 바카라 에볼루션 claims such materialism portrays negative images to students, making them lose faith.
When the STR's ad campaign made the news, scientists from all over the world expressed concern. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul wrote in a letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was supported by colleagues from around the country who formed a group named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some scientists are worried that the STR could expand to other parts of the world, where creationism has been on the rise. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will push for textbook revisions in other countries, notably those with strong Christian and Muslim populations.
The South Korean culture is particularly strong for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religious community and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo, an ideology based on Confucian principles, which 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 by doing good deeds.
All of this has made creationism fertile ground. Several studies have shown that students who have a religious background tend to feel more uncomfortable about learning evolution than those who do not have a religious background. The causes behind this are not clear. One possible explanation is that students with religious beliefs tend to be as knowledgeable about scientific concepts and theories which makes them more susceptible to the influence of creationists. Another possible factor is that students who have religious backgrounds are more likely to view 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 raised concern among the scientific community. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that nearly 40 percent of Americans believed that biological evolution was wrong and that it would conflict their religious beliefs. Despite the success of creationism in some states, a lot of scientists feel that the best strategy to combat this inclination is not to engage it, but rather to inform the public on the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are accountable to teach their students science including the theory of evolution. They should also educate the public on the process of scientific research and how knowledge is validated. They must also explain that scientific theories are frequently challenged and revised. However, misperceptions about the nature of scientific research often create anti-evolution beliefs.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a hunch, or a guess. In the field of science, however, an hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical evidence is used to confirm it. A theory that survives repeated testing and observations becomes an established scientific principle.
The debate over evolutionary theory is an excellent opportunity to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential to understand that science cannot answer questions about the purpose of life or meaning, but allows living things to develop and evolve.
A comprehensive education should include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because the jobs people are employed in and the decisions they make require a knowledge of how science works.
에볼루션 바카라 of scientists around the world agree that humans have evolved over time. In a recent study that predicted adults' views of the consensus on this subject those with higher levels of education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide consensus among scientists on human evolution. The people with more religious beliefs and have less science-based knowledge tend to be more skeptical. It is essential that teachers emphasize the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus so that people can make informed choices about the use of energy, health care, and other policy matters.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close relative to the popular evolutionary theory, cultural evolution studies the numerous ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this field use elaborate models and tools that are adapted from the ones used by evolutionary theorists, and they reach back into human prehistory to determine the origins of our capacity for culture.
This method also acknowledges the distinction between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually while biological traits are mostly inherited simultaneously (in sexual species at fertilization). The acquisition of a cultural characteristic may affect the growth and development of another.
In Korea For instance, the adoption of Western fashion elements in the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th centuries was the result of a complex series of events. One of the most important was the appearance in Korea of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western clothing and hairstyles.
When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, some of these changes began to reverse. At the close of World War II, Korea was once again united, this time under Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown consistently over the past decade and is poised to sustain its steady growth in the near future.
However, the current administration is facing a variety of challenges. One of the most significant is its inability to find a coherent policy to deal with the economic crisis. The crisis has revealed weaknesses of the country's policies particularly its dependence on exports and foreign investment that may not last.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government has to review its economic strategy and find alternatives to increase domestic demand. It must also revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems that are currently in place to ensure 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 to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various levels of development and ages. For example, teachers must be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create an environment that students who have secular and religious views are comfortable with learning about evolution. Teachers must also understand common misconceptions about evolution, and how to address them in their classrooms. Finally, teachers must be able to access a range of resources for teaching evolution and be able locate them quickly.
In this context the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step towards bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of sectors to discuss the 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 different participants helped to identify the common recommendations that will serve as the basis for any future actions.
One of the most important recommendations is that the study of evolution should be included in every science curriculum at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) that call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with a progression that is developmentally appropriate, are a good method to achieve this goal. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC provides guidance to schools on how to integrate evolution into their 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 estimate causal effects in the classroom, since school curricula don't change in a random manner and are affected by the timing of state board of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this issue, I use a longitudinal data set that lets me control for fixed state and year effects and individual-level variation in teacher beliefs regarding evolution.
Another significant finding is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report having fewer personal barriers to teaching it. This is in line with the hypothesis that more confident faculty are less likely to avoid teaching about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to employ strategies like a reconciliatory method that is known to boost undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.