5 Killer Queora Answers On Evolution Korea
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Evolution Korea
The economic crisis that swept Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of government-business alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea, this meant a change in the model of development.
In a controversial decision the South Korean government has asked textbook publishers to ignore requests for removing examples of evolution from science texts for high school students. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses and the bird an ancestor Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A South Korean creationist group has persuaded textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. The decision was the result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) which is an branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid textbooks on biology of "atheist materialism." The STR claims such materialism portrays an image of negativity for students, making them abandon their faith.
Scientists around the globe expressed concern when the STR campaign gained attention. 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 across the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition to protest the changes to the textbooks.
Some scientists are worried that the STR will be spread to other regions of the globe, where the belief in creationism has been increasing. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement will intensify pressure for revisions to textbooks in other countries, notably those with strong Christian and Muslim population.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are part of a religion and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo, the philosophy based on Confucian principles that 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 the heavenly blessings are achievable through the good works of one's.
All of this has created a fertile ground. Multiple studies have shown students with a religious background to be more hesitant to learn about evolution than those who don't. However, the root reasons for this phenomenon are unclear. Students who are religious might be less experienced with the theories of science, making them more susceptible to creationists and their influence. Another possibility is that students with religious beliefs tend to view evolution as a religious concept which could make them less comfortable with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, anti-evolution campaigns in schools have caused concern in the scientific community. A study conducted in 2009 found that nearly 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong, and that a belief in it could be in conflict with their religious beliefs. Many scientists believe that, despite the success of creationism, the best way to stop this movement is to educate the public on the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are required to teach their students about science including the theory of evolution. They should also inform the public about the process of scientific research and the way in which knowledge is verified. They should explain how scientific theories are often challenged and modified. However, misunderstandings regarding the nature of research conducted by scientists often create anti-evolution beliefs.
Many people mistake 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 repeatedly tested and observed becomes a scientific principle.
The debate over evolutionary theory is an excellent opportunity to discuss the significance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is important for people to understand that science is unable to answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life but it is merely a means by which living things can develop and adapt.
A comprehensive education here should include exposure to all major scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is especially important since the jobs people are employed in and the decisions they make require knowledge of how science works.
The majority of scientists around world agree that humans have evolved over time. A recent study that predicted adults' view of the consensus on this subject found that those who had higher levels of education and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a consensus between scientists regarding human evolution. Those who have more religious beliefs and have less knowledge of science are more likely to disapprove. It is important that educators stress the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, so that people can make informed decisions regarding energy use, health care and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin to the popular evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution studies the numerous ways that humans and other species learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this field utilize explanatory models and investigative tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists. they go back to human prehistory to discover the origins of our capacity to learn about culture.
This approach also recognizes the distinction between cultural and biological traits. While biological traits are typically acquired at once (in sexual species, at fertilization) however, cultural traits can be acquired over a long period of time. The acquisition of one cultural characteristic can affect the development and growth of a different.
In Korea the introduction of Western styles in the latter part of the nineteenth and early 20th century was the result of an intricate sequence of events. One of the most important was the appearance in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western clothing and hairstyles.
Then, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a portion of those trends began to reverse. By the end of World War II, Korea was once again united but this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the country's economy has grown consistently over the past decade and is set to maintain its steady growth in the future.
However, the current government has many challenges to face. The inability of the government to develop a coherent plan to tackle the current economic crisis is one of the biggest obstacles. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses of the country's policies, especially its over-reliance on foreign investment and exports that may not last.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government has to reconsider its economic strategy and find alternatives to increase domestic demand. To ensure a stable financial climate the government needs reform its incentive and monitoring systems, as well as discipline and monitoring. This chapter provides a number of scenarios for how the Korean economy might develop in a post-crisis world.
4. Evolution and Education
One of the biggest challenges for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts in ways that are appropriate for students of various levels of development and ages. Teachers should, for instance be aware of the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a welcoming environment where students from both religious and secular perspectives are comfortable. Teachers must also understand common misconceptions about evolution and how to deal with them in their classrooms. Teachers must also have quick access to the many resources that can be used to teach evolution.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step in bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of disciplines to discuss most effective methods of teaching evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, officials from government funding agencies and curriculum developers. The convergence of diverse participants helped to identify the common recommendations which will serve as the foundation for future actions.
It is essential to incorporate evolution in all science curricula 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 one method to achieve this goal. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC offers guidelines to schools on how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Numerous studies have shown that a more thorough teaching of evolution is associated with more knowledge and belief in evolution. It is difficult to estimate the causal effects of evolution in the classroom because school curricula do not change on a regular basis and are affected by the timing of state boards of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this problem I use an ongoing dataset that gives me to control for the fixed effects of state and years and individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Another important result 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 faculty who are more confident are less likely to be hesitant about evolution-related topics in the classroom, and could be more likely to employ strategies such as a reconciliatory approach known to increase the students' understanding of evolution.