How To Explain Evolution Korea To A Five-Year-Old
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Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that hit Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of government-business alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea, that meant a shift in the development model.
In a controversial move, South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers not to comply with calls to remove examples of evolution from high school science books. These include the evidence for evolution of horses as well as the bird ancestral Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has convinced textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. The move was a 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 books of "atheist materialism." The STR claims such materialism portrays a negative image for students, causing them to be skeptical.
Scientists around the globe expressed worry 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 by colleagues around the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the textbook changes.
Some researchers are concerned 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 that the anti-evolutionist movement will intensify pressure for revisions to textbooks in other countries, particularly those with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea's cultural background is particularly strong for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religious group, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, a lot of Koreans adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy based on Confucian principles which emphasizes harmony in society and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that the human being is one with Hanulnim the God of Sun and that heavenly blessings are achievable by doing good deeds.
All of this has created a fertile field. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have a religious background to be more uncomfortable learning about evolution as compared to those who do not. The underlying reasons for this phenomenon are not clear. Students who are religious may not be as familiar with scientific theories, which makes them more vulnerable to creationists and their influence. Another reason could be that students who have a religious background are more likely to see evolution as an atheistic idea, which may make them less comfortable with the idea.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution programs in schools have raised concern within the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed that more than 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true, and that a belief in it could be in conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the popularity of creationism in some states, many scientists feel that the best strategy to counter this movement is not to be actively involved in with it, but rather inform people about the evidence for evolution.
Scientists are accountable for teaching their students science that includes the theory of evolution. They should also inform the public about the research process and the way in which knowledge is verified. They must explain how scientific theories are often challenged and modified. However, misconceptions about nature and purpose of scientific research can lead to a negative view of evolution.
For example, some people may confuse the word "theory" with the everyday meaning of the word - a guess or guess. In science, however a hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical evidence is used to verify it. A theory that is repeatedly tested and observed is then a scientific principle.
The debate over the evolutionary theory provides a great opportunity to discuss the significance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential that people understand that science cannot answer questions about the purpose of life or meaning, but allows living things to develop and evolve.
Moreover, a well-rounded education should include exposure to all major fields of science, including evolutionary biology. This is essential because a variety of jobs and decisions require that individuals understand the way science works.
The vast majority of scientists around the world believe that humans have evolved over time. A recent study that predicted the adults' opinions of the consensus around this issue found that those with higher education levels and scientific knowledge were more likely to believe that there is a consensus among scientists about human evolution. People with more religious beliefs and less science knowledge are more likely to disapprove. It is important that educators stress the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, to enable people to make informed choices about energy use, health care and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a close cousin of mainstream evolutionary theory. It examines how humans and other organisms learn from one another. Researchers in this area use explanatory tools and investigative models adapted from evolutionary theorists and reach back to prehistoric times to discover the earliest sources of culture.
This approach also acknowledges that there are some differences between the characteristics of culture and biological. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually while biological traits are usually acquired simultaneously (in the case of sexual species after fertilization). In the end, the acquisition of one cultural trait can influence the development of another.
In Korea, for example, the adoption of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th century was the result of a complex series 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 changes began to reverse. By the end of World War II, Korea was once more united, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the financial crisis of recent the economy of Korea has been growing steadily over the past decade. It is anticipated to continue to grow in the near future.
However, the current government has many challenges to face. The inability of the government to come up with a coherent strategy to tackle the current economic crisis is one of the biggest challenges. The crisis has exposed shortcomings of the country's economic policies, particularly its dependence on exports and foreign investment which might not be sustainable in the long run.
The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government has to rethink its economic strategy and look for alternatives to boost domestic demand. It also needs to revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems currently in place to create an environment that is stable for the financial sector. This chapter provides a number of scenarios on how the Korean economy could develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution and Education
A fundamental challenge for evolution educators more info is how to teach evolutionary concepts in a manner that is appropriate for students at various levels of development and ages. For instance, teachers need to be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a space where students with religious and secular beliefs feel comfortable learning evolution. Teachers should also be able recognize common misconceptions regarding evolution and be able to correct them in the classroom. Finally, teachers must have access to a variety of resources that are available to teach evolution and be able to find them quickly.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played a significant role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from different sectors to discuss best methods for teaching about Evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse groups led to the identification of a common set of recommendations that will serve as the foundation for future actions.
One important recommendation is that the teaching of evolution should be included in all science curricula at any level. To achieve this goal the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in an integrated manner across all sciences with a progression of concepts that are developmental appropriate. A new publication from the NRC provides guidelines to schools about how to integrate evolution in the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more thorough explanation of evolution can lead to a greater understanding of students and belief in evolution. However the estimation of the causal impact of teaching in the classroom is difficult given that school curricula are not assigned randomly and evolve over time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this limitation I employ an ongoing dataset that gives me control for the fixed effects of state and years as well as individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution also report fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the notion that more confident faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to use strategies such as the reconciliatory method known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.