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Evolution Korea The economic crisis that swept across Asia prompted a major reappraisal the traditional system of government, business alliances, and public management of risk. In Korea this required a change in the development model. In a controversial move, South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers not to comply with calls to eliminate examples of evolution from science textbooks for high school students. This includes the evidence for the evolution of horses and the avian an ancestor Archaeopteryx. 1. Evolution and Religion A group of creationists in South Korea has successfully 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 branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology textbooks of “atheist materialism.” The STR claims that this kind of materialistic views create a negative image for students and leads to their eventual denial of faith. Scientists across the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign made headlines. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature evolutionary biologist Jae Choe at Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in 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 researchers are concerned that the STR will spread to other parts around the globe, where creationism is growing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolutionist campaign putting pressure on textbook revisions, specifically in countries with large Christian and Muslim population. The South Korean culture is especially strong in the evolution debate. 26 percent of South Koreans are part of a religion with the majority of them practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy based upon Confucian principles, which is a strong advocate of social harmony, individual self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo is a belief system that teaches that humans are one with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that heaven-bound blessings can be derived by doing good deeds. All of this has made creationism a fertile ground. Several studies have shown that students who have religion-based backgrounds tend to be more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those without religion. The causes behind this are not evident. Students who have a religious background may be less familiar with the theories of science, making them more susceptible to creationists and their influence. Another reason could be that those with religious backgrounds may see evolution as a concept that is not a religion, which makes them feel uncomfortable. 2. Evolution and Science In recent times scientists have been concerned about anti-evolution efforts in schools. A survey in 2009 revealed that 40% of Americans believed that biological evolution was not true and that it could conflict with their religious beliefs. Many scientists believe that, despite the fact that creationism has been successful the best way to combat this movement is to educate the public on the evidence for evolution. Scientists are responsible to instruct their students in science including the theory of evolution. They should also inform the public about the process of scientific research and how knowledge is verified. They should also explain that theories of science are often challenged and revised. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of scientific research can lead to a negative view of evolution. Some people interpret the term “theory” as a hunch, or a guess. In 에볼루션코리아 , however a hypothesis is rigorously tested and empirical data is used to prove it. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly is then a scientific principle. The debate about the evolutionary theory provides a great opportunity to discuss the significance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial to be aware that science cannot answer questions about life's purpose or meaning, but rather offers a way for living things to grow and change. A well-rounded education should also include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is particularly important because the jobs that people hold and the decisions they make require a knowledge of how science works. The majority of scientists across the world believe that humans have changed over time. A recent study that predicted the adults' opinions of the consensus on this issue found that those with higher education levels and knowledge of science were more likely to believe there is a consensus among scientists on the subject of human evolution. The people with more religious beliefs and less science-based knowledge are more likely to disagree. It is important that educators insist on the importance of understanding this consensus so that people can make informed decisions about health care, energy usage and other policy issues. 3. Evolution and Culture Cultural evolution is a close relative 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 adapted from evolutionary theorists and go back to human prehistory to determine the origins of culture. This approach also acknowledges that there are differences between biological and cultural characteristics. While biological traits are generally acquired at once (in sexual species, at fertilization) but cultural traits can be acquired over a lengthy period of time. The acquisition of a cultural characteristic can affect the growth and development of another. In Korea the emergence of Western styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was the result of a complex sequence of events. One of the most significant was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces who introduced Western clothing and hairstyles. When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to change. By the end of World War II, Korea was once more united, this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty. Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent financial crisis, Korea's economy has been growing consistently over the last decade. It is expected to continue this growth in the near future. The current government is faced with many challenges. The government's inability to formulate an effective strategy to address the current economic crisis is one the most significant challenges. The crisis has revealed shortcomings in the policies of the country, especially its over-reliance on foreign investment and exports, which may not last. The financial crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government needs to reconsider its strategy and come up with other ways to increase domestic demand. To ensure a stable economic climate the government will need reform its incentive system, monitoring and discipline. This chapter outlines several scenarios of how the Korean economy could grow in the post-crisis era. 4. Evolution and Education The challenge for teachers of evolution is to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different levels of development and ages. Teachers, for instance, must be sensitive to the diversity of religions in their classrooms and create a space that students who have religious and secular views feel comfortable learning evolution. Moreover, teachers need to be aware of common misconceptions about evolution, and how to deal with them in their classrooms. Teachers must also have easy access to the many resources to teach evolution. In this context, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was a crucial step in bringing together evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of disciplines to discuss best methods for teaching about evolution. The participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational researchers, officials of government funding agencies, and curriculum developers. The convergence of various participants helped to identify some common guidelines that will form the basis for any future actions. One important recommendation is that the subject of evolution should be included in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) that call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences with the developmentally appropriate, are one method to achieve this goal. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a more thorough explanation of evolution can lead to greater student understanding and belief in the existence of evolution. However, estimating the causal effect of evolution in the classroom is difficult given that school curricula are not randomly assigned and change in time as a result of the predetermined timing of gubernatorial elections and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this limitation, I use a longitudinal data set which lets me control for fixed state and year effects as well as individual-level variations in the beliefs of teachers about evolution. Another significant finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching about evolution report having fewer personal barriers to doing so. This is in line with the notion that more experienced faculty are less likely to avoid evolution-related topics in the classroom, and may be more likely to employ strategies such as the reconciliatory method which is used to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.