The Korea Times close
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Entertainment
& Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Sports
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
Video
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Thu, May 26, 2022 | 17:50
Extinct 'bird' stokes furor of creationists
기독교와 과학계 “시조새” 논란
Posted : 2012-06-20 19:19
Updated : 2012-06-20 19:19
Print Preview
Font Size Up
Font Size Down

By Kim Rahn

A heated debate about an archaeopteryx in science textbooks is raging between a Christian group and scientists.

The Christian group denies the theory of evolution and has asked publishers to remove images of fossils of the bird from textbooks. Claiming evolutionism contains many errors the creationist group says such errors should be removed from textbooks to give only “correct” information to students.

Darwinian scientists claim the removal is unreasonable because the archaeopteryx is suitable and sufficient to explain the evolution theory.

Last December, the Society for Textbook Revive (STR) filed a petition with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to delete the part about the archaeopteryx, which is considered evidence of evolution, from high school science textbooks.

The current national curriculum adopts the theory of evolution for the origin of life, and science textbooks say the archaeopteryx, which lived in the late Jurassic period, is presumed to be a creature that had evolved from a reptile to a bird.

But the STR claims the archaeopteryx is not the interim specie between reptiles and birds, saying some recent studies indicate the archaeopteryx was a kind of dinosaur with feathers and not the progenitor of birds.

The ministry conveyed the petition to six textbook publishers, and five of them decided to delete or revise the related descriptions.

Under the current textbook publication system, publishers can edit the content at their discretion as long as the changes satisfy the curriculum standard set by the ministry which state they should teach Darwinism. But it doesn’t detail which part of the theory they should teach.

On the publishers’ accepting the petition, scientists, mainly Darwinians, raised objections.

In a survey conducted by the Biological Research Information Center (BRIC) on its 1,474 members last week, 88 percent said the theory of evolution should be included in textbooks and most of them said the content should be revised to include new research results rather than removing the theory as a whole.

More than 50 percent said the archaeopteryx part in the textbooks needs more scientific evidence but should not be deleted.

Some 86 percent also said the petition process was improper because it lacked sufficient investigation by experts. Some presumed the petitioner, a religious group, seemed to have a different purpose, such as preaching creationism.

The Paleontological Society of Korea is also opposed to the textbook changes. “Researchers have different opinions in examining fossils, but the STR is distorting the argument as if researchers don’t agree with Darwinism. It is unreasonable that publishers can accept the claim without seeking counter opinions from scientists,” a member of the society said.

The ministry plans to set guidelines by collecting opinions from experts by September, the deadline for revision for next year’s textbook publication, and encourage publishers to follow them.

기독교와 과학계 “시조새” 논란
최근 기독교관련 단체인 교과서진화론개정추진회(교진추)의 청원으로 출판사 6곳이 시조새 등 고교 과학교과서에 기술된 진화론 관련 내용을 삭제ㆍ수정하기로 하자 국내 생물학계가 일제히 문제를 제기하고 나섰다. 포스텍 생물학연구정보센터(브릭)는 생물학 전공 회원을 대상으로 지난 11~15일 설문조사를 실시한 결과 응답자 1,474명 중 86%가 교진추의 청원 처리 과정에 문제가 있다고 답했다고 19일 밝혔다. 문제 사유로는 '절차상 전문가의 검증이 충분히 이뤄지지 않았다'는 의견(52%)이 가장 많았고, '청원서를 낸 곳이 종교기관 등 다른 의도를 가진 단체로 판단된다'는 점(25%)이 뒤를 이었다. 시조새가 진화론을 설명하는 근거로 적합하기 때문에 교과서 내용을 일부 수정할 수는 있어도 삭제는 안 되다는 의견은 73%에 달했다. 한국고생물학회도 이날 공식 반박문을 내고 "교진추의 주장은 학계의 논쟁을 마치 진화론 자체에 의문을 제기하는 것처럼 호도하고 있다"면서 "출판사가 교과서를 집필할 때 전문가가 심사할 수 있는 제도를 마련해야 한다"고 지적했다. 진화론 논란은 지난해 말 교진추가 '시조새는 파충류와 조류의 중간 종이 아니므로 교과서에서 삭제해달라'는 청원을 교육과학기술부에 내면서 불거졌다. 교진추는 "시조새가 깃털 달린 날개가 있어 공룡이 새로 진화하는 중간단계로 알려져 있으나 최근에는 시조새가 깃털을 지닌 공룡의 일종으로 조류의 시조가 아니라는 연구결과도 나오고 있다"고 주장했다. 이 청원은 금성, 천재교육, 교학사, 상상아카데미, 더텍스트, 미래앤컬쳐 등 과학교과서 출판사 6곳에 전달됐고, 이들 출판사가 시조새 설명 부분을 수정ㆍ삭제하기로 하면서 논란이 커졌다. 국제학술지 <네이처>와 미국 시사주간지 <타임>이 창조론자의 요구로 교과서에서 진화론 내용이 빠진다고 보도하는 등 해외에서도 주목하고 있다. 과학교과서의 경우 2009년 발행 체계가 인정교과서로 바뀐 상태. 인정교과서는 검정교과서와 달리 교과부가 정한 교과서 집필기준인 교과교육과정에만 벗어나지 않으면 출판사 재량으로 편집할 수 있고, 수정ㆍ보완 역시 출판사 몫이다. 교과부 정용호 수학교육정책팀 연구사는 "교과교육과정에는 진화론을 가르쳐야 한다고 돼있지만 구체적으로 진화론의 어떤 내용을 담을지 명시하고 있지 않다"며 "현 상황에서 특정 목적을 갖고 교과서 내용을 바꾸려도 해도 이를 막을 방법이 없다"고 말했다. 그는 "진화론이 왜곡된다는 우려를 덮으려면 진화론자들이 관련 근거와 이론을 충분히 제시하는 게 최선의 방법"이라고 덧붙였다. 이와 관련, 교과부 산하 교육과정연구기관인 한국창의재단은 국내 생물학회 10곳 이상에서 추천 받은 전문가로 협의회를 꾸려 시조새 부분을 삭제하려는 교과서에 대해 수정ㆍ보완을 요구할 방침이다. 한국창의재단 김동원 교육과정개발실장은 "수렴한 학회 의견을 과학교과서 인정기관인 서울시교육청의 교과서 심의위원회에 제출할 계획"이라고 말했다. 9월께 열릴 이 위원회 심의를 통과한 교과서라야 실제 학교에서 채택해 쓸 수 있다.
Emailrahnita@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
  • Gunman kills 18 children at Texas elementary school
  • Over 76% of Koreans support legalizing euthanasia
  • Korea to allow visa waiver at Yangyang airport for int'l travelers from 4 countries
  • Will government establish new immigration agency?
  • North Korea launches missiles to test Seoul-Washington deterrence
  • N. Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles, including 1 suspected ICBM: JCS
  • [INTERVIEW] Defender of inter-country adoptees' rights
  • Japan's unwelcome move
  • Auditing firms compete to secure rookie accountants
  • US forces anger animal rights group for brutally executing stray cats with air gun
  • Former GFriend member Yuju sings on track for drama 'Kiss Sixth Sense' Former GFriend member Yuju sings on track for drama 'Kiss Sixth Sense'
  • 'The Witch: Part 2' director still has more story to tell 'The Witch: Part 2' director still has more story to tell
  • Tim Burton's iconic world of misunderstood misfits returns to Korea Tim Burton's iconic world of misunderstood misfits returns to Korea
  • Park Chan-wook returns to Cannes with romance 'Decision to Leave' Park Chan-wook returns to Cannes with romance 'Decision to Leave'
  • BLACKPINK on cover of Rolling Stone BLACKPINK on cover of Rolling Stone
DARKROOM
  • 75th Cannes Film Festival

    75th Cannes Film Festival

  • People in North Korea trapped in famine and pandemic

    People in North Korea trapped in famine and pandemic

  • 2022 Pulitzer Prize: Bearing witness to history

    2022 Pulitzer Prize: Bearing witness to history

  • Worsening drought puts millions at risk

    Worsening drought puts millions at risk

  • Our children deserve the best

    Our children deserve the best

The Korea Times
CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Location
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Service
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • Mobile Service
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • 고충처리인
  • Youth Protection Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group