9 Things Your Parents Taught You About Evolution Korea
Evolution KoreaThe financial crisis that struck Asia required a major review of the old system of government-business alliances and public management of private risks. In Korea, that meant a shift in the development model.
In a controversial decision, the South Korean government has asked textbook publishers to ignore requests for removing examples of evolution in high school science textbooks. 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 persuaded textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent offshoot from the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to cleanse biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims that this kind of materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students, and could lead to their eventual loss of faith.
Scientists around the globe expressed concerns when the STR campaign made headlines. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, complained in an email to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was backed up by colleagues across the country, who set up an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Some researchers are concerned that the STR could be spread to other regions of the world, where creationism has been growing. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement will push for textbook revisions in other countries, especially those with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly strong cultural background for the evolution debate. Twenty-six percent of the country's citizens belong to a religious denomination and the majority adhere to Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also follow Ch'ondogyo, an ideology based on Confucian principles, which is a strong advocate of social harmony, individual self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo teaches that human beings are one with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that the heavenly blessings can be obtained through good works.
All of this has made creationism a fertile ground. Several studies have shown that students with a religious background are more hesitant when learning about evolution than those without religion. The causes behind this are not clear. Students who are religious may be less experienced with scientific theories, making them more susceptible to creationists' influence. Another reason could be that students who have religious backgrounds may see evolution as a concept that is not a religion, which makes them feel less comfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent times scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A study conducted in 2009 found that nearly 40 percent of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true and that a belief in it could be in conflict with their faith-based beliefs. Many scientists believe that despite the success of creationism the best way to counter this belief is to educate the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are responsible to instruct their students in science including the theory of evolution. They should also inform the general public about the process of science, and how scientific knowledge is collected and validated. They should also explain that scientific theories are often challenged and reformulated. However, misunderstandings about the nature of research conducted by scientists often cause people to believe that evolution is not real.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a guess, or a guess. However, in science theories are rigorously tested and verified through evidence. A theory that survives repeated testing and observation becomes an established scientific principle.
The debate over evolutionary theory is a good occasion to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential to realize that science cannot answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life but only provides a mechanism through which living organisms can develop and adapt.
Moreover, a well-rounded education should include exposure to the vast majority of scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is especially important since the jobs people are employed in and the decisions they make require a understanding of how science works.
The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed over time. In a study that predicted adults' views of the consensus on this subject people with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely believe that there is a broad agreement among scientists about the evolution of humans. Those who have more religious faith and less science knowledge are more likely to disapprove. It is essential that educators insist on the importance of knowing the general consensus on this issue to ensure that individuals have a solid basis for making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy use and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close relative of the popular evolutionary theory. It explores how humans and other organisms learn from each other. Researchers in this field employ elaborate tools and investigative models that are adapted from evolutionary theorists and reach back to the prehistoric human to determine the origins of culture.
This approach also recognizes the difference between cultural and biological traits. While biological traits are largely acquired in one go (in sexual species, at fertilization) but cultural traits can be acquired over a lengthy period of time. The acquisition of one cultural characteristic may affect the development and growth of a different.
In Korea the introduction of Western style elements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the result an intricate sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western clothing and hairstyles.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s, some of these changes began to reverse. By the end of World War II, Korea was once again united, 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 steadily over the past decade. It is expected to keep this trend going in the near future.
However, the current government faces numerous challenges. One of the most serious is its inability to develop an effective strategy to address the economic crisis. The crisis has revealed the weaknesses of the country's economy policies, particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports, which may not be sustainable in the long run.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government must rethink its economic strategy and come up with alternatives to increase domestic demand. To ensure a stable economic climate the government needs reform its incentive, monitoring and discipline systems. This chapter outlines several scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
One of the biggest challenges for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts in a way that is suitable for students at various levels of development and ages. For instance, teachers need to be aware of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a space where students with 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. Teachers must also have access to a variety of resources to teach evolution and be able to locate them quickly.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from different sectors to discuss the best methods of teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational research organizations, as well as officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum designers. The convergence of diverse stakeholders helped identify the common recommendations that will form the basis for future actions.
It is important to include evolution in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a good way to achieve this goal. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC provides guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of evolution can lead to higher levels of student understanding and belief in 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 timeframe of gubernatorial elections as well as appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this problem I employ a longitudinal dataset that allows me to control state and years fixed effects as well as individual-level differences in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Another important finding is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report having less personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the hypothesis that faculty who are more confident are less likely to be hesitant about questions about evolution in the classroom, and may be more inclined to employ strategies such as a reconciliatory approach that is known to boost the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.
