Evolution Korea

The economic crisis that hit Asia caused a significant rethinking of the old system of government-business alliances and the public management of private risks. In Korea, this meant a shift in the model of development.

In a controversial move South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers not to comply with calls to eliminate examples of evolution from high school science books. These include the evidence of the evolution of horses as well as the bird ancestral Archaeopteryx.

1. Evolution and Religion

A South Korean creationist group has pushed textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution from high school science texts. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research which aims to rid biology textbooks of "atheist materialism," was behind the decision. The STR claims that this kind of materialism paints an unhopeful picture for students and leads to their eventual denial of faith.

Scientists across the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign made headlines. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, complained in a letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was supported by colleagues from across the country, who set up an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.

Some scientists are worried that the STR will be spread to other regions of the world, where creationism is increasing. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will increase pressure for textbook revisions in other countries, especially those with strong Christian and Muslim populations.

South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are part of a religious group, with the majority practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Additionally, a large portion of Koreans adhere to the philosophy of Ch'ondogyo. It is founded on Confucian principles that emphasizes harmony among people and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo is a way of teaching that the human being is one with Hanulnim the God of Sun, and that divine blessings can be achieved through good works.

All of this has provided fertile ground for the spread of creationism. Several studies have shown that students who have a religious background are more hesitant when learning about evolution than those without religion. The underlying causes are not clear. Students with a religious background may be less experienced with scientific theories, making them more vulnerable to creationists and their influence. Another reason could be that students with a religious background are more likely to view evolution as an atheistic concept which could make them less at ease with it.

1. Evolution and Science

In recent years, anti-evolution campaigns in schools have raised concern within the scientific community. A study conducted in 2009 found that more than 40 percent of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong and that a belief in it would be contrary to their convictions about religion. Despite the success of creationism in some states, many scientists believe that the best way to counter this movement is not to be actively involved in it, but rather to educate people about the evidence supporting evolution.

Scientists are accountable to instruct their students in science, which includes the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the public about the process of scientific research and how knowledge is validated. They should explain how scientific theories are often challenged and modified. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of scientific research frequently fuel anti-evolution beliefs.

Some people interpret the term "theory" as a guess or a guess. In the field of science, however, a hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical evidence is used to verify it. A theory that is able to withstand repeated testing and observation is an established scientific principle.

The debate over the evolutionary theory provides a great opportunity to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial to realize that science is unable to answer questions about the meaning or meaning of life but only provides a mechanism through which living organisms can evolve and change.

A well-rounded education should include exposure to all the major scientific fields including evolutionary biology. This is important because many jobs and decisions require that individuals understand how science operates.

The vast majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed through time. A recent study predicting adults' opinions of the consensus on this issue found that those with higher levels of education and scientific knowledge were more likely to believe that there is a broad agreement among scientists on the subject of human evolution. The people with more religious faith and less science-based knowledge are more likely to disagree. It is critical that educators insist on the importance of understanding the general consensus on this issue to ensure that individuals are able to making informed decisions about their health care, energy usage, and other policy issues.

1. Evolution and Culture

A close cousin to the mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution focuses on the various ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and interact with one another. Researchers in this field utilize elaborate models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists. they reach back into human prehistory to determine the genesis of our capacity to learn about culture.

This method also acknowledges the difference between biological and cultural traits. While biological traits are largely acquired at once (in sexual species, after fertilization) but cultural traits can be acquired over a protracted period of time. 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 century and the early 20th century was a result of a complicated sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothes.

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 but this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.

Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown steadily in the last decade and is poised to sustain its steady growth in the coming years.

However, the current administration has many challenges to face. The inability of the government to develop an effective strategy to address the current economic crisis is one the biggest challenges. The crisis has exposed shortcomings in the policies of the country particularly its dependence on exports and foreign investment, which may not last.

As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government must reconsider its economic strategy and look for alternatives to boost 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 offers a variety of scenarios on how the Korean economy might develop post-crisis.

1. Evolution and Education

The challenge for evolution educators is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different ages and stages of development. For instance, teachers need to be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a setting where students with religious and secular views are comfortable with learning about evolution. Moreover, teachers need to recognize the most common misconceptions about evolution and how to confront them in their classrooms. Teachers should also have quick access to the numerous resources available to teach evolution.

In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played an important role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from different sectors to discuss 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 developers. The convergence of these diverse parties led to the identification of a common set of recommendations that will be the basis for future actions.

It is essential to incorporate evolution in all science curricula, at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences with the developmentally appropriate, are one way to achieve this goal. A new publication from NRC provides guidelines to schools about how to incorporate evolution into the life science curriculum.

Numerous studies have shown that a more comprehensive teaching of evolution is linked to more knowledge and belief in evolution. However the estimation of the causal impact of teaching in the classroom is difficult because school curriculums are not randomly assigned and evolve over time as a result of the predetermined timing of gubernatorial elections and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this limitation I utilize an ongoing data set that allows me to control for state and year fixed effects and the individual-level variation in the beliefs of teachers about evolution.

Another important finding is that teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution report having less personal barriers to teaching it. This is in line with the notion that more experienced faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom, and could be more inclined to employ strategies like a reconciliatory method which is used to increase undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.