Can Evolution Korea Never Rule The World?
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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, as well as public management of risks. In Korea this meant a change in the model of development.
In a controversial decision, the South Korean government has asked textbooks publishers to ignore calls for the removal of examples of evolution from high school science textbooks. This includes the evidence of the evolution of horses and of the avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A creationist group in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to omit evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. The Society for Textbook Revise, an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research that wants to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the move. The STR claims that such materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students and leads to their eventual loss of faith.
When the STR's ad campaign made the news, scientists from all over the globe expressed alarm. Jae Choe, 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 backed by colleagues from all over the country, who formed a group named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some researchers are worried about the possibility that the STR campaign will be spread to other parts 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 population.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate about evolution. 26 percent of the country's citizens belong to an organized religion and the majority practice Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo - a philosophy based upon Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation, and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo is a belief system that teaches that humans are one with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that the heavenly blessings can be derived through the good deeds of a person.
All of this has made creationism fertile field. Numerous studies have revealed that students with religious backgrounds tend to feel more uncomfortable about learning evolution than those who are not religious. However, the root reasons for this phenomenon are not clear. One possible explanation is that students who have religious backgrounds tend to be as well-versed in scientific theories and concepts and are therefore more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another possible factor is that students who have a religious background tend to view evolution as a religious concept which could make them less comfortable with the idea.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have caused concern within the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is a lie, and that a belief in it would be contrary to their convictions about religion. Despite the success of creationism in some states, a lot of scientists believe that the best method to stop this trend is not to engage it, but rather to educate people about the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are required to educate their students about science including the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the general public about the scientific process and how knowledge is gathered and validated. They should also explain that scientific theories are often challenged and reformulated. However, misperceptions regarding the nature of research conducted by scientists often fuel anti-evolution beliefs.
Some people interpret the term "theory" as a hunch or a guess. In science, however a hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical evidence is used to verify it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principle.
The debate about evolution theory is a great opportunity to discuss both the importance of scientific methodology and its limitations. It is crucial to realize that science is not able to answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life, but it is merely a means through which living organisms can grow and change.
A well-rounded education should also include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs that people have and the decisions they make require knowledge of how science works.
The majority of scientists around the world believe that humans have evolved through time. In a recent study that predicted the views of adults on the consensus on this topic people with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely to believe that there is a broad agreement among scientists regarding the evolution of humans. Those with more religious faith but less knowledge of science tend to disagree more. It is important that educators insist on the importance of understanding this consensus, so that people can make informed decisions regarding energy use, health care, and other policy matters.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin to the mainstream evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution studies the numerous ways humans--and other organisms--learn from and with one another. Researchers in this field employ explanation tools and models adapted from evolutionary theorists. They also go back to human prehistory to determine the origins of culture.
This approach also acknowledges the differences between cultural and biological traits. Cultural traits are acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are mostly inherited simultaneously (in sexual species at fertilization). The acquisition of one characteristic may affect the development and growth of a different.
In Korea, the adoption of Western styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was here the result of an elaborate sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western hairstyles and clothing styles to Korean society.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s some of these trends began to reverse. At the close of World War II, Korea was once more united but this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the financial crisis of recent Korea's economy has been growing at a steady pace over the past decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the near future.
The current government is confronted by a myriad of problems. The government's inability to formulate a coherent plan to tackle the current economic crisis is one of the most significant challenges. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses of the country's policies and its reliance on exports and foreign investment that may not last.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government needs to reconsider its economic strategy and come up with alternatives to increase domestic demand. It will also have to overhaul the incentive monitoring, monitoring, and discipline systems in place to guarantee a stable financial environment. This chapter provides a number of scenarios for how the Korean economy could develop post-crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for teachers of evolution lies in how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various ages and stages of development. Teachers must, for example be mindful of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create an environment where students with both religious and secular perspectives are at ease. Teachers must be able to recognize common misconceptions regarding evolution and know how to address them in the classroom. Teachers should also have quick access to the many resources available to teach evolution.
In this context, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step towards bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of disciplines to discuss best methods for teaching evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as government funding agency officials, and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse stakeholders helped to identify a shared set of recommendations that will form the basis for future action.
One important recommendation is that the subject of evolution should be incorporated in every science curriculum at every level. To achieve this goal it is recommended that the National Science Education Standards (NRC) call for evolution to be taught in an integrated way across the life sciences, with a progression of ideas that are developmentally appropriate. A new publication from the NRC provides guidance to schools on how they can integrate evolution into their life science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of evolution is linked to more knowledge and belief in the existence of evolution. However, estimating causal effects in the classroom is a challenge given that school curricula are not randomly assigned and change in time as a result of the predetermined timeframe of gubernatorial elections as well as appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this limitation I employ a longitudinal dataset that allows me to control for the effects of years and states fixed as well as individual-level differences in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Teachers who are more comfortable in teaching evolution have fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the notion that a more confident faculty is less likely to avoid tackling evolution subjects in the classroom. They also could be more likely to use strategies such as an approach to reconciliation that is known to improve the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution (Harms and Reiss, 2019; Tolman et al., 2020).