The economic crisis that swept across Asia caused a major review of the traditional system of government, business alliances, as well the public management of risk. In Korea, this meant a change in the development paradigm.
In a controversial decision, South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers to ignore calls to eliminate examples of evolution in science books for high school students. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses and the avian ancestor Archaeopteryx.
- Evolution and Religion
A creationist group in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. The move was a result of a campaign run by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) which is an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid textbooks on biology of "atheist materialism." The STR claims that this kind of materialistic thinking creates a negative picture for students and can lead to their eventual loss of faith.
When the STR's campaign made the news, scientists across the world expressed concern. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote a letter to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was backed up by colleagues around the country, who formed a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks.
Some scientists are worried that the STR will expand to other parts of the world, where creationism has been on the rise. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolution movement will push for textbook revisions in other countries, particularly those with strong Christian and Muslim populations.
South Korea has a particularly powerful cultural backdrop for the debate about 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 the Ch'ondogyo philosophy, which is that is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes social harmony and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that human beings are one with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that heaven-bound blessings are possible by doing good deeds.
All of this has made creationism fertile ground. Numerous studies have revealed that students who have a religious background are more hesitant about learning about evolution than students who are not religious. The reasons behind this aren't obvious. One reason is that students who have religious beliefs tend to be as familiar with scientific theories and concepts, which makes them more susceptible to the influence of creationists. Another factor could be that those with religious backgrounds may see evolution as an idea that is atheistic, making them feel uncomfortable.
- Evolution and Science
In recent times, scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A 2009 survey revealed nearly 40 percent of Americans believed that biological evolution was a myth and that it could conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the success of creationism in some states, a lot of scientists feel that the best way to combat this inclination is not to engage it, but to educate the public on the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists have a responsibility to educate their students about science including the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the general public about the scientific process and how knowledge from science is gathered and validated. They should also explain that theories of science are often challenged and revised. However, misconceptions about the nature and purpose of research can lead to a negative view of evolution.
Some people confuse the word "theory" as a hunch or guess. In the realm of science theories are rigorously tested and verified with evidence. A theory that is repeatedly tested and observed is then a scientific principle.
The debate over evolutionary theory is a good opportunity to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is essential for people to recognize that science cannot answer questions about the purpose or meaning of life, it only serves as a mechanism that allows living things to evolve and change.
Furthermore, a comprehensive education must include exposure to the vast majority of scientific fields, including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because the jobs that people have and the decisions they make require understanding of how science works.
The vast majority of scientists across the world accept that humans have evolved over time. In a recent study that predicted adults' views of the consensus on this subject, those with higher levels education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely believe there is a wide agreement among scientists about the evolution of humans. Those who have more religious faith and less science-based knowledge tend to be more skeptical. It is essential that educators insist on the importance of knowing the consensus on this issue, so that people have a solid foundation for making informed choices about their health care, energy use and other issues of policy.
- Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a cousin of the popular evolutionary theory. It focuses on how humans and other organisms learn from one another. Researchers in this field employ explanatory tools and investigative models derived from evolutionary theorists and go back to the prehistoric human to determine the origins of culture.
This approach also recognizes that there are differences between biological and cultural characteristics. While biological traits are largely inherited all at once (in sexual species, at fertilization), cultural traits can be acquired over a long period of time. This means that the acquisition of one cultural trait may affect the development of another.
In Korea, the adoption of Western elements of style in the late nineteenth and early 20th century was the result of an intricate sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western hairstyles and clothing styles to Korean society.
Then, when Japan left Korea in the 1930s, some of these trends began to change. 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 current global financial crisis, the country's economy has grown steadily in the past decade and is expected to maintain its steady growth in the future.
The current government is faced with a variety of challenges. The inability of the government to come up with a coherent plan to deal with the current economic crisis is among the biggest challenges. The crisis has revealed shortcomings in the policies of the country particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports, which may not last.
The crisis has shaken confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government has to reconsider its strategy and come up with other ways to boost the domestic demand. It must also revamp the incentive, monitoring, and disciplining systems in place to guarantee a stable financial environment. This chapter provides a variety of scenarios of how the Korean economy could grow in the post-crisis period.
- Evolution and Education
The challenge for teachers of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various levels of development and ages. Teachers, for instance, must be aware of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a setting where students with secular and religious views are comfortable with learning about evolution. Additionally, teachers must be aware of common misconceptions about evolution and how to confront these in their classrooms. Teachers must also have quick access to the various resources that can be used to teach evolution.
In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a range of sectors to discuss the best methods for teaching evolution. Attendees included representatives of scientific societies, educational researchers, government funding agency officials and curriculum designers. The convergence of various participants helped to identify a set of shared recommendations that will serve as the basis for any future actions.
One of the most important recommendations is that the study of evolution should be included in every science curriculum at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) that call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a method to achieve this goal. Furthermore, a new publication from the NRC offers guidelines for schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more thorough presentation of evolution leads to better understanding by students and belief in evolution. However the estimation of causal effects in the classroom is difficult because school curriculums are not assigned randomly and evolve over time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and state board of education appointments. To overcome this problem I use a longitudinal data set that gives me control for the fixed effects of state and years as well as individual-level differences in the beliefs of teachers about evolutionary theory.
Another important result is that teachers who are more comfortable with teaching evolution report having fewer personal barriers to teaching it. This is consistent with the notion that a more experienced faculty is less likely to avoid discussing evolution subjects in the classroom. They also might be more likely use strategies such as a reconciliatory approach known to increase undergraduate student acceptance of evolution (Harms and Reiss, 2019