Beware Of These “Trends” Concerning Evolution Korea
Evolution Korea
The economic crisis which swept Asia caused a major review of the traditional system of government, business alliances, as well the public management of risks. In Korea, this meant a shift in the development paradigm.
In a controversial move, the South Korean government has requested publishers of textbooks to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution in high school science texts. This includes evidence for evolution of horses as well as the avian ancestral 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 which aims to rid biology textbooks of “atheist materialism,” was behind the decision. The STR asserts that such materialism creates a negative image for students, making them abandon their faith.
Scientists across the globe expressed concerns when the STR campaign gained attention. 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 all over the country who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition.
Some scientists are also concerned that the STR campaign will be spread to other regions of the world, where the spread of creationism is increasing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution movement putting more pressure on textbook revisions, especially in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea’s culture is particularly strong for the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religious community with the majority of them practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch’ondogyo – a philosophy based upon Confucian principles that emphasizes social harmony, individual self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch’ondogyo teaches the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that heavenly blessings are achievable through the good works of one’s.
All of this has provided fertile ground for the spread of creationism. A number of studies have demonstrated that students with a religious background tend to be more uncomfortable about learning about evolution than students who do not have a religious background. The underlying causes of this phenomenon remain unclear. One possible explanation is that students with religious backgrounds tend to be as knowledgeable about scientific theories and concepts which makes them more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another factor could be that students with religious backgrounds might view evolution as a concept that is agnostic, making them feel uncomfortable.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have caused concern among the scientific community. 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 religious beliefs. Many scientists believe that despite the popularity of creationism the best method to stop this movement is to educate the public on the evidence supporting evolution.
Scientists are required to instruct their students in science including the theory of evolution. They should also inform people about the process of science and how knowledge is collected and verified. They should also explain that theories of science are often challenged and reformulated. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of scientific research often create anti-evolution beliefs.
For example, some people are able to confuse the term “theory” with the everyday meaning of the word – a hunch or guess. In science, however the theory is rigorously tested and verified through empirical data. A theory that survives repeated testing and observations becomes a scientific principle.
The debate about evolutionary theory is an excellent opportunity to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential for people to recognize that science is unable to answer questions about the purpose or meaning of life but it is merely a means that allows living things to develop and adapt.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education should cover all the major scientific fields that include evolutionary biology. This is important because many jobs and decisions require that people understand the way science works.
The vast majority scientists in the world believe that humans have evolved over time. In a study that predicted adults’ views of the consensus around this issue people with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide agreement among scientists regarding human evolution. People with more religious faith and less science knowledge tend to be more skeptical. It is important that educators insist on the importance of gaining an understanding of this consensus, so that people can make informed choices about health care, energy usage and other issues of policy.
3. Evolution and Culture
A close cousin to the mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural Evolution KR explores the many ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and interact with each other. Researchers in this field employ explanation models and tools adapted from those used by evolutionary theorists, and they look back to human prehistory to discover the genesis of our capacity to learn about culture.
This method also acknowledges the distinction between biological and cultural traits. Cultural traits can be acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are usually acquired at the same time (in sexual species, at fertilization). The acquisition of a cultural characteristic can influence the development and growth of a different.
In Korea For instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century was the result of a variety of events. One of the most important was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western clothing styles and hairstyles to Korean society.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to reverse. At the end of World War II, Korea was united once more and again under the Choson dynasty rule.
Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the financial crisis of recent Korea’s economy has been growing at a steady pace over the last decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the future.
The current government is confronted with many challenges. The inability of the government to develop a coherent plan to address the current economic crisis is among the biggest challenges. The crisis has revealed the weaknesses of the country’s economy policies, mainly its overreliance on exports and foreign investment, which may not be sustainable in the long run.
Since the financial crisis has destroyed the confidence of investors, the government must reconsider its economic strategy and come up with alternatives to boost domestic demand. It also needs to reform the incentive monitoring, monitoring, and discipline systems that are currently in place to create a stable financial environment. This chapter outlines several scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop after the crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various levels of development and ages. Teachers must, for example be aware of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create an environment where students from both religious and secular beliefs are comfortable. Teachers must also be able to identify common misconceptions regarding evolution and be able to correct them in the classroom. Additionally, teachers should be able to access a range of resources available for teaching evolution and be able to find them quickly.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing evolutionary researchers and educators from various sectors to discuss best methods of teaching Evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as government funding agency officials as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse stakeholders resulted in a consensus set of recommendations that will form the basis for future action.
It is crucial 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 a progression that is developmentally appropriate, are one way to achieve this goal. A new publication from the NRC provides guidelines to schools about how to incorporate evolution into the life science curriculum.
A number of studies have demonstrated that a more thorough teaching of evolution can lead to more knowledge and belief in evolution. However it is difficult to determine the causal effect of evolution in the classroom is difficult given that school curricula are not randomly assigned and change over time because of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this limitation, i use an ongoing dataset that gives me to control the fixed effects of state and years and individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory.
Another significant finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching evolution report having less personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the notion that a more experienced faculty is less likely to avoid discussing evolution subjects in the classroom. They also may be more likely to employ strategies like a reconciliatory approach known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution (Harms and Reiss 2019; Tolman et al. 2020).