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Evolution Korea The financial crisis that struck Asia forced a major reappraisal of the old system of government-business alliances and public management of private risks. In Korea, this meant a shift in the model of development. In a controversial decision, South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers not to comply with calls to remove examples of evolution from high school science books. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses and the bird ancestral Archaeopteryx. 1. Evolution and Religion A South Korean creationist group has persuaded textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. This was the result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) an independent offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology books of “atheist materialism.” The STR claims that such materialism creates an image of negativity for students, causing them to be skeptical. Scientists around the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign made headlines. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature, evolutionary biologist Jae Choe of Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in 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 researchers are concerned that the STR will be spread to other regions of the globe, including areas where the belief in creationism has been on the rise. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will increase pressure for textbook revisions in other countries, notably those with strong Christian and Muslim populations. The South Korean culture is particularly strong in the debate on evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are members of a religious community and the majority of them practice Christianity or Buddhism. In addition, a lot of Koreans adhere to Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy that is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes social harmony and personal self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches that the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that the heavenly blessings are achievable by doing good deeds. All of this has created a fertile field. Several studies have shown that students who have religion-based backgrounds tend to feel more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those without religion. However, the underlying causes of this phenomenon remain not known. Students who have a religious background may not be as experienced with scientific theories, making them more susceptible to creationists and their influence. Another reason could be that those with religious backgrounds might view evolution as a belief system that is not a religion, which makes them feel uncomfortable. 2. Evolution and Science In recent years, anti-evolution programs in schools have raised concern among the scientific community. A study conducted in 2009 found that over 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is wrong and that believing in it would conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in some states, many scientists believe that the best strategy to stop this trend is not to be actively involved in with it, but rather inform the public about the evidence supporting evolution. Scientists have a duty to instruct their students in science including the theory of evolution. They also need to educate the public on the process of scientific research and the way in which knowledge is confirmed. They must also explain that theories of science are frequently challenged and revised. However, misunderstandings regarding the nature of scientific research often fuel anti-evolution beliefs. Many people mistake the term “theory” as a hunch or a guess. In the field of science, however, the hypothesis is tested thoroughly, and empirical data is used to prove it. A theory that is able to withstand repeated testing and observations becomes an established scientific principle. The debate over the theory of evolution is a wonderful opportunity to discuss both the importance of scientific method and its limits. It is important for people to recognize that science cannot answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life, but it is merely a means by which living things 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 individuals understand the way science works. The vast majority of scientists around the world believe that humans have evolved over time. In a study that predicted the opinions of adults about the consensus on this subject, those with higher levels education and science knowledge were found to be more likely to believe that there is a broad consensus among scientists on human evolution. The people with more religious beliefs and have less knowledge of science are more likely to disagree. It is crucial that educators stress the importance of understanding this consensus, so that people can make informed decisions regarding the use of energy, health care and other policy issues. 3. Evolution and Culture A close relative to mainstream evolutionary theory, the concept of cultural evolution focuses on the various ways that organisms, including humans, learn from and with each other. Researchers in this area use elaborate tools and investigative models derived from evolutionary theorists and go back to prehistoric times to find the origins of culture. This approach also recognizes the difference between traits that are cultural and biological. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually while biological traits are typically acquired at the same time (in sexual species, at fertilization). In the end, the emergence of one cultural trait may affect the development of another. In Korea for instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries was the result of a complex series of events. One of the most significant was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western clothing styles and hairstyles to Korean society. Then, when Japan departed Korea in the 1930s, a portion of those trends began to reverse. At the end of World War II, Korea was once more united, this time under Choson dynasty rule. Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the economy of Korea has grown steadily in the past decade and is expected to continue its healthy growth in the future. The current administration is faced by a myriad of problems. One of the biggest is the inability to come up with a coherent policy to address the economic crisis. The crisis has exposed weaknesses of the country's economic policies, mainly its overreliance on exports and foreign investment which might not be sustainable in the long run. The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors, the government needs to reconsider its economic strategy and look for alternatives to boost domestic demand. To ensure a stable economic climate, the government will have to overhaul its incentive and monitoring systems, as well as discipline and monitoring. This chapter presents several 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 present evolutionary concepts in ways that are appropriate for students of various levels of development and ages. Teachers should, for instance, be sensitive to the diversity of religions within their classrooms and create an environment where students of both religious and secular beliefs are at ease. Teachers should also be able to identify common misconceptions regarding evolution and know how to correct them in the classroom. Teachers must also have easy access to the various resources that can be used to teach evolution. In This Internet site Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation was an important step in bringing evolutionary scientists and educators from a variety of disciplines to discuss best practices for teaching evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies as well as educational research, officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of different stakeholders led to the development of the common recommendations that will form the foundation for future actions. One of the most important recommendations is that the study of evolution should be incorporated in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are a good method to achieve this goal. A new publication from the NRC offers guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the science curriculum. Numerous studies have shown that a more comprehensive teaching of evolution is associated with greater student knowledge and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom is a challenge due to the fact that school curriculums are not assigned randomly and change over time as a result of the predetermined timing of gubernatorial elections and state board of education appointments. To overcome this issue I utilize a longitudinal data set that allows me to account for fixed state and year effects and the individual-level variation in teacher beliefs regarding changes in the curriculum. Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution also report fewer internal barriers. This is consistent with the notion that a more experienced faculty is less likely to avoid discussing evolution topics in the classroom and might be more likely employ strategies like the reconciliatory approach that has been proven to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution (Harms and Reiss 2019; Tolman et al., 2020).