The recent Ebola virus disease outbreak in Western African countries has raised questions regarding the feasibility of adopting conventional trial designs such as randomized controlled trials for conducting experimental trials in the midst of a fatal epidemic. In the context of Ebola ça Suffit trial conducted in Guinea for testing the efficacy and effectiveness of rVSV–ZEBOV, a candidate vaccine, I argue that the trial design and the methodologies adopted for the trial have been rightly chosen for their ethical appropriateness and (...) social utilities rather than only epistemic advantages. In this paper, I propose and defend the view that in varying scientific research contexts, it is entirely legitimate that non-epistemic values may be prioritized over epistemic considerations. Two vital methodological choices scientists should make while designing a clinical trial are: the choice of appropriate control group and the choice of appropriate randomization. Given this background, I show that the choice of delayed vaccination arm as the control group over placebo control group and the choice of cluster randomization over individually controlled randomization for conducting Ebola ça Suffit trial are perfect instances of such a scenario where addressing social and ethical issues have been justifiably prioritized over epistemic values so that the research in a specific scientific context could be conducted in a socially relevant manner. (shrink)

The title that we have chosen may look a little odd, but what we aim at is to look for new paradigms in the understanding of secularism and spirituality. There seems to be an urgent need to understand spirituality from different angles altogether. It is not a break with the past, but a development that is a must, for a history from which the need for new understanding and new expressions emerges. With regard to spirituality this applies as well, as (...) there is nothing beyond the law of evolution and transcendence. Hence, nowadays the need to look at spirituality from various perspectives arises, and therein also comes the need for new paradigms, which may be able to give expressions to the aspirations of humankind with better relevance for the modern world. We need to realize that no absolute standard can be set for all times; and perhaps it is here that all religious institutions need to be humble enough to admit that they are always on search and it can never reach the final goal until the end of history, which is not in sight either. Thus, the Lord of history is challenging us to wake up and meet the world with its successes and failures and to build up a secularity that is sacred enough for the divine and the humans, and wherein all creatures can live in accommodation and caring for one-another in a spirit of solidarity and self-donation. This is the ‘Sacred Secularity’ to which we need to awaken ourselves, and may the challenge be addressed adequately by us. (shrink)

In this essay, I argue that at least in two phases of pharmaceutical research, especially while assessing the adequacy of the accumulated data and its interpretation, the influence of non-epistemic values is necessary. I examine a specific case from the domain of pharmaceutical research and demonstrate that there are multiple competing sets of values which may legitimately or illegitimately influence different phases of the inquiry. In such cases, the choice of the appropriate set of values—epistemic as well as non-epistemic—should be (...) made on the basis of the set’s viability to promote specific epistemic and social aims of the research, in the case at hand, rather than other competing aims. I put forth an account which addresses two philosophically significant and interrelated questions in the context of values in science debates: which aim should be prioritized when there are different stakeholders who try to achieve competing but, sometimes, conflicting goals; and what should be the criteria according to which the prioritization of a particular goal over other competing goals can be determined? I argue that both these questions can be addressed by invoking the principle of non-arbitrariness and the mere means principle and self-determination right. The philosophical import of raising and addressing these questions from an ethical perspective is that this approach leads to a better understanding of problems in today’s pharmaceutical research and guides us in efforts to alleviate these problems. (shrink)

This paper examines the case of Ebola, ça Suffit trial which was conducted in Guinea during Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in 2015. I demonstrate that various non-epistemic considerations may legitimately influence the criteria for evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of a candidate vaccine. Such non-epistemic considerations, which are social, ethical, and pragmatic, can be better placed and addressed in scientific research by appealing to non-epistemic values. I consider two significant features any newly developed vaccine should possess; (1) the duration (...) of immunity the vaccine provides; and (2) safety with respect to the side effects of the vaccine. Then, I argue that social and ethical values are relevant and desirable in setting the parameters for evaluating these two features of vaccines. The parameters that are employed for setting up the criteria for assessing the features might have far-reaching implications on the well-being of society in general, and the health conditions of several thousand people in particular. The reason is that these features can play a decisive role during the evaluation of the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine. I conclude by showing why it is necessary to reject the concept of epistemic priority, at least when scientists engage in policy-oriented research. (shrink)

While the causes of human-animal conflict are numerous, many are intertwined with food production systems and the wildlife trade. The emergence and spread of Covid-19 exemplify this. Indeed, the wildlife population in South Asian countries has seen an increase in the risk of both human and nonhuman death in recent months, and as the economy slows, the search for food and extra income will intensify, negatively impacting wildlife. This paper aims to address some of the ethical issues concerning our treatment (...) of nonhuman creatures and the environment in relation to the global food system and wildlife trade following the Covid-19 crisis. (shrink)

Krishnamurti believes that Man can come to truth neither through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, nor through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. Man has built in himself images as a fence of security - religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The (...) burden of these images dominates man's thinking, his relationships and his daily life. These images are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man. His perception of life is shaped by the concepts already established in his mind. The content of his consciousness is his entire existence. This content is common to all humanity. When man becomes aware of the movement of his own thoughts he will see the division between the thinker and the thought, the observer and the observed, the experiencer and the experience. (shrink)

A general criterion for distinguishing between epistemic and non-epistemic values is that the former promotes the attainment of truth whereas the latter does not. Daniel Steel is a proponent of this criterion, although it was initially proposed by McMullin. There are at least two consequences of this criterion; it always prioritizes epistemic values over non-epistemic values in scientific research, and it overlooks the diverse aims of science, especially the aims of regulatory or policy-oriented science. This criterion assumes the lexical priority (...) of truth or lexical priority of evidence. This paper attempts to show a few inadequacies of this assumption. The paper also demonstrates why epistemic priority over non-epistemic values is a problematic stance and how constraining the role of non-epistemic values as ‘tiebreakers’ may undermine the diverse aims of science. (shrink)

This paper proposes a functional approach to characterize epistemic and nonepistemic values. The paper argues that epistemic values are functionally homogeneous since they act as criteria to evaluate the epistemic virtues a hypothesis ought to possess, and they validate scientific knowledge claims objectively. Conversely, non-epistemic values are functionally heterogeneous since they may promote multiple and sometimes conflicting aims in different research contexts. An incentive of espousing the functional approach is that it helps us understand how values can operate in appropriate (...) and inappropriate ways in scientific research and inappropriate influences can eventually be prevented. The idea is to argue that since non-epistemic values are functionally heterogeneous, they cannot provide objective reasons for the acceptance of a hypothesis. However, their involvement is necessary in certain research contexts and the problem is the involvement of these need not be always legitimate. By analyzing a case from chemical research, I demonstrate that how non-epistemic values might influence scientific research and, then, I go on to demonstrate that how a proper understanding of the functions of different kinds of values might promote the attainment of multiple goals of a particular research in a legitimate and socially relevant way. (shrink)

The proposed paper wishes to reflect on the conception of non-self and Shunyta and how these ideas are discerned in the process of remaking of Man as it is understood in the classical Indian philosophy. The concept of non-self is very carefully elaborated in such a way that it could define the unique relationship that thehuman being have with the world of existence where remaking of man is an absolute necessity to transact with the uncertain and indescribable phenomenal world. The (...) paper would prefer to review this aspect based on the method employed by the Madhyamika Buddhist philosophy, using the idea of shnyata where allphenomenal experiences are delineated based on selflessness of the phenomenal world and of the subjective self (dharmanairatmya and pudgalanairatmya). It is argued here that the conception of self is understandable only contextually where a notional subjective self is in contact with phenomenal happenings of the world, but a proper understanding of either of the entities would reveal the conception of selflessness and the notional self. The procedure of “remaking ofman” is explained as the proper discernment of essencelessness of subjective self. The notion of a real self (pudgala) is clearly understood by reconstructing the psychophysical personality of man that the notion of selflessness is revealed by explaining the function of his dispositions and feelings. A proper conception of sunyata and the procedure remaking of man are intrinsically connected. (shrink)

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to foreground the importance of context in discourse analysis by drawing on a study of online gender talk on Facebook in India. Design/methodology/approach Using Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA), this study explored participants’ use of language to construct and perform various identities in online gender talk. This study discusses the methods used and challenges in analyzing digital spaces through FDA, focusing specifically on the importance of an ethnographic perspective to contextualize online talk. Findings Engagement (...) with the larger socio-cultural context of the subject of study through various data collection methods enhanced our understanding of the contexts behind text. It helped the authors to explore the data from multiple directions from a Foucauldian framework. This study found that people constructed a “progressive” identity when talking about gender on Facebook. Originality/value There are very few studies combining discourse analysis and digital ethnography and this paper seeks to do that. Digital ethnography helps to look beyond the text and locate text in the larger socio-cultural context. To emphasize the importance of context in discourse analysis, this study engages with both online and offline data as online talk is connected with offline contexts in many significant ways. In this paper, the authors provide a description on various methodological steps used to collect and analyze online data using FDA. (shrink)

The Structure of Scientific Revolution is the famous work by Thomas Kuhn which challenged traditional understanding of science and philosophy of science. His research activities are wide-ranging; central to his notion of incommensurability are the ideas of meaning variance and lexicon, and the impossibility of translation of terms across different theories. It is closely related to the linguistic analysis of scientific language. The schematic nature of Kuhn’s work and his ongoing clarification of its key concepts fostered additional problems of understanding, (...) interpretation, and attribution. This paper analyses the notion of scientific language in the context of incommensurability with special reference to the theory of meaning. Linguistic experts have not attempted to incorporate Kuhn’s incommensurability to address the issues related to epistemology. This Paper shows how Kuhn’s theory of incommensurability can be applied to linguistics to overcome the problems that arise due to similar lexical terms. It argues that Kuhn’s epistemological analysis of incommensurability, particularly the challenge of understanding the process of symbolization in scientific theories, when applied to linguistics can revolutionize the discipline itself which fills the existing knowledge gap. (shrink)

The Principle of common cause has its significance in providing explanations of phenomena in terms of causal theories. Though the principle has its own epistemological advantages, there can be certain situations where the principle might fail. In the first part of the paper, I offer a preliminary assessment of the PCC and then I turn to make an attempt to illustrate those scenarios where the PCC might misguide us in providing explanation of phenomena in terms of common cause.

Papers presented at the national seminar on 'Environmental Ethics in Tribal Societies: with special reference to North East India', organized by the Department of Philosophy, Lady Keane College during 21-22 November 2012.

The question of knowledge and judgment is a problem in the history philosophy. We can even predict that the conflicts in philosophical understanding are due to finding appropriate knowledge for suitable judgments. Discussion on this aspect was a part of the Indian philosophical tradition during the time of the Buddha. We here try to understand the concept of "denials and deny denials" introduced by Sanjaya Bellatthiputta whose philosophical school is known as Amaravikkhepa. Here we examine this concept in relation to (...) the other schools of philosophy at the time of the Buddha. Though the views of the Amaravikkhepas were criticized by the Buddha, we can see that later Buddhist thinkers like Nagarjuna and Aryadeva were influenced by the logical technique of "denials and deny denials." The prime aspect of this method is that it explains indirectly the implicit difficulties in accepting human knowledge about the world as the basic premise for making metaphysical judgments. The discussion shows that most of the philosophical schools of the period were enthusiastic about publishing theories based on personal choices and preferences. Sanjaya was not interested in finding a permanent theory or framework for understanding the phenomenal world. He wants the process of thinking to proceed uninhibitedly without seeking refuge in a theory and thereby struggling with it. He believes the ultimate aim of philosophy is to realize human freedom by invoking the difficulties of accepting theoretical positions. (shrink)

The Principle of Common Cause (PCC) puts forward the idea that events which occur simultaneously and are correlated have a prior common cause which screens off the correlation. I endorse the view that the PCC does qualify as a principle that can be used as a tool in explaining improbable coincidences. However, though there are epistemological advantages in common cause explanations of correlated events, the PCC is not impeccable. This paper offers a preliminary assessment of the PCC advocated by Reichenbach, (...) and then attempts to illustrate three scenarios in which the principle might be inadequate in explaining correlated events. The paper also compares the Common Cause Principle and the Causal Markov Condition (CMC), and examines the advantages of CMC over the Common Cause Principle. (shrink)

Stranger and more momentous than the strangest of scientific theories is the appearance of God on the intellectual horizon of contemporary science. From Einstein, Planck, and Heisenberg, to Margenau, Hawking, and Eccles, some of the most penetrating modern minds have needed God in order to make sense of the cosmos.

Academic integrity establishes a code of ethics that transfers over into the job force and is a critical characteristic in scientists in the twenty-first century. A student’s perception of cheating is influenced by both internal and external factors that develop and change through time. For students, the COVID-19 pandemic shrank their academic and social environments onto a computer screen. We surveyed science students in the United States at the end of their first COVID-interrupted semester to understand how and why they (...) believed their peers were cheating more online during a pandemic. Almost 81% of students indicated that they believed cheating occurred more frequently online than in-person. When explaining why they believed this, students touched on proctoring, cheating influences, and extenuating circumstances due to COVID-19. When describing how they believed cheating occurred more frequently online, students touched on methods for cheating and surreptitious behavior. The student reasonings were associated with four theories that have been used to examine academic dishonesty. Our results can aid institutions in efforts to quell student concerns about their peers cheating during emergencies. Interestingly, most student beliefs were mapped to planned behavior theory while only a few students were mapped to neutralization theory, suggesting it was a novel modality of assessment rather than a pandemic that shaped student perceptions. (shrink)

Background: Previous studies have found lapses in ethical safeguards for subjects of critical-care research. Objective: To assess recently published empiric critical-care research conducted in the United States for the reporting of research protections as they relate to informed consent and surrogate decision-making. Methods: Systematic review of a sample of empiric critical-care research studies published between 2000 and 2004. Results: Of 51 studies reviewed, consent was reported as having been obtained in 44. Assessment of subjects' decision-making capacity was noted in 35% (...) of studies. Assessments of subjects' capacity was less likely to be reported in studies in which researchers accepted consent from either subjects or from third parties, compared to studies with only subjects' consent. Five studies did not report securing Institutional Review Board approval. Conclusion: Lapses in the reporting of critical-care research are prevalent. (shrink)

Incapacitated and surrogateless patients are an ever-growing trend in the world of health care. Although the extent of the issue is unknown, 1 out 20 deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) occurre...

Topological indices are numeric parameters which portray the topology of a subatomic structure. In QSAR/QSPR analysis, topological descriptors play a vital role to examine the topology of a network. An interconnection network is a structure whose components are connected physically according to some pattern. In this paper, an interconnection network, ternary hypertree, which is a structural combination of complete ternary tree and hypertree, is introduced. We have evaluated the topological descriptors grounded on the distances for the ternary hypertree. The analytical (...) expressions for Wiener, different types of Szeged, and Mostar indices are determined. (shrink)

Arrhythmias are irregular heartbeats that may be life-threatening. Proper monitoring and the right care at the right time are necessary to keep the heart healthy. Monitoring electrocardiogram patterns on continuous monitoring devices is time-consuming. An intense manual inspection by caregivers is not an option. In addition, such an inspection could result in errors and inter-variability. This article proposes an automated ECG beat classification method based on deep neural networks to aid in the detection of cardiac arrhythmias. The data collected by (...) an Internet of Things enabled ECG monitoring device are transferred to a server. They are analysed by a deep learning model, and the results are shared with the primary caregiver. The proposed model is trained using the MIT-BIH ECG arrhythmia database to classify into four classes: normal beat, left bundle branch block beat, right bundle branch block beat, and premature ventricular contraction. The received data are sampled with an overlapping sliding window and divided into an 80:20 ratio for training and testing, with tenfold cross-validation. The proposed method achieves higher accuracy with a simple model without any preprocessing when compared with previous works. For the train and test sets, we achieved accuracy rates of 99.09 and 99.03%, respectively. A precision, recall, and F1 scores of 0.99 is obtained. The proposed model achieves its goal of developing a simple and accurate ECG monitoring system with improved performance. This simple and efficient deep learning approach for heartbeat classification could be applied in real-time telehealth monitoring systems. (shrink)

The ipsilesional arm of stroke patients often has functionally limiting deficits in motor control and dexterity that depend on the side of the brain that is lesioned and that increase with the severity of paretic arm impairment. However, remediation of the ipsilesional arm has yet to be integrated into the usual standard of care for upper limb rehabilitation in stroke, largely due to a lack of translational research examining the effects of ipsilesional-arm intervention. We now ask whether ipsilesional-arm training, tailored (...) to the hemisphere-specific nature of ipsilesional-arm motor deficits in participants with moderate to severe contralesional paresis, improves ipsilesional arm performance and generalizes to improve functional independence. We assessed the effects of this intervention on ipsilesional arm unilateral performance [Jebsen–Taylor Hand Function Test ], ipsilesional grip strength, contralesional arm impairment level [Fugl–Meyer Assessment ], and functional independence [Functional independence measure ]. Intervention occurred over a 3 week period for 1.5 h/session, three times each week. All sessions included virtual reality tasks that targeted the specific motor control deficits associated with either left or right hemisphere damage, followed by graded dexterity training in real-world tasks. We also exposed participants to 3 weeks of sham training to control for the non-specific effects of therapy visits and interactions. We conducted five test-sessions: two pre-tests and three post-tests. Our results indicate substantial improvements in the less-impaired arm performance, without detriment to the paretic arm that transferred to improved functional independence in all three posttests, indicating durability of training effects for at least 3 weeks. We provide evidence for establishing the basis of a rehabilitation approach that includes evaluation and remediation of the ipsilesional arm in moderately to severely impaired stroke survivors. This study was originally a crossover design; however, we were unable to complete the second arm of the study due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We report the results from the first arm of the planned design as a longitudinal study. (shrink)

베스트셀러 《왓칭》의 후속작인생의 큰 착각에서 깨어난 26년차 베테랑 기자의 놀라운 체험! ◎ 도서 소개 “나는 나를 텅 비웠는가?”이 질문 속에 모든 답이 들어 있다! 우리는 별의별 것들을 ‘내 것’으로 착각한다. 화가 나도 그것을 내 것으로 착각해 머릿속에 집어넣고 살다가 화병을 만든다. 골치가 아파도 내 것으로 착각해 머릿속에 가둬놓고 만성 두통으로 키워낸다. 욕심도 절망도 슬픔도 몽땅 머릿속에 집어넣고 다닌다. 그러다 보니 우리는 어느새 걸어 다니는 화 덩어리, 고통 덩어리, 스트레스 덩어리, 절망 덩어리가 된다. 내 안에 가득한 모든 쓸모없는 생각들을 싹 비워버리는 (...) 비밀은 없을까? 26년차 앵커이자 기자인 저자는 베스트셀러 《왓칭》이후 더욱 깊은 취재, 명상, 체험을 거쳐 두 번째 저서 《마음을 비우면 얻어지는 것들》(김상운 지음, 21세기북스)을 펴냈다. 그는 이 책을 통해 내 안에 가득 쌓인 모든 것들이 사라지는 유일한 비밀은 ‘이 모든 것들이 내 것이 아니다’는 사실을 진심으로 깨닫고 나를 텅 비우는 것이라고 말한다. 그리고 다양한 사례와 자신의 체험을 바탕으로 인생의 착각에서 깨어나는 순간, 마음이 텅 비어지면서 심신의 병과 고민과 지능의 한계 등 인생의 모든 장애물들이 저절로 텅 비어버리는 우주의 원리를 알기 쉽게 소개한다. “인생은 착각이다. 착각에서 깨어나면 고통의 감옥에서도 벗어난다.”-노벨물리학상 수상자 아인슈타인 “착각에서 깨어나면 ‘불가능’이 돌연 ‘가능’으로 바뀐다.”-물리학자, 심리학자 아놀드 민델 “텅 빈 마음은 창조의 공간이다. 무엇이든 창조한다.”-노벨물리학상 수상자 하이젠베르크 “마음을 텅 비우면 모든 병도 텅 비어버린다.”-정신의학자 스탠리 블락 마음을 비우면 비로소 얻어지는 것들 차원을 높이면 ‘불가능’이 ‘가능’으로 바뀐다텅 빈 우주엔 목표 달성에 필요한 모든 정보와 에너지가 다 들어 있다. 즉, 마음이 텅 비는 순간 우주와 접속되면서 목표 달성에 필요한 모든 걸 얻게 되는 것이다. 만일 목표가 이뤄지지 않았다면 마음을 텅 비우지 못했다는 증거다. 이처럼 진공의 세계는 우리가 아는 현실과는 전혀 다른 차원의 세계다. 아무 걸림돌도, 시간도, 거리도 없는 텅 빈 무의 세계다. 이 공간에서는 도저히 불가능하게 생각됐던 일도 돌연 가능해진다. 이른바 기적이 일어난다. 마음이 텅 비는 순간 전혀 다른 차원이 되는 것이다. 사람은 육신과 영체의 합작품육신은 일시적인 겉모습에 불과하다. 참 생명은 영체에 있다. 육신은 음식을 못 먹으면 죽지만 영체는 음식을 안 먹어도 영원히 생존하는 사랑 덩어리이기 때문이다. 사랑으로부터 지능, 생명, 에너지 등 우리가 원하는 모든 것이 흘러나온다. 생각은 되돌려주지 않으면 파리처럼 달라붙는다‘담배를 피우고 싶다’는 생각이 달라붙어 있으면 골초가 된다. ‘술을 마시고 싶다’는 생각이 달라붙어 있으면 술고래가 된다. 걸핏하면 버럭버럭 화를 터뜨리는 사람들도 원래부터 그런 게 아니다. 단지 우주에서 빌려 썼던 화를 되돌려주지 않고 머릿속에 품고 있을 뿐이다. 과거나 미래의 생각으로 머리를 가득 채우는 것 역시 불행이다. 몸은 현재에 살고 있는데 머릿속은 과거나 미래의 생각들로 가득 차 있다면 ‘나’는 둘로 쪼개져 있는 것이다. 현재의 순간에 몰입하는 것이야말로 평화의 이르는 길이다. 인생은 분명한 목적을 가진 연극이다인생도 연극이라는 사실을 분명히 깨닫는 순간, 똑같은 변화가 일어난다. 무엇보다도 ‘내 것’에 대한 집착에서 벗어난다. 내 것도, 네 것도 없다는 생각에 인생살이는 지나치게 심각히 받아들이지 않게 된다. 자신의 인생을 마치 관객처럼 바라보게 된다. ◎ 본문 중에서 텅 빈 우주에 모든 정보가 들어 있는데 나는 왜 그 정보를 마음대로 꺼내 쓰지 못하는 걸까? 주파수가 맞지 않기 때문이다. 생각해보라. 텅 빈 우주와 주파수를 맞추려면 내 마음도 역시 텅 비워야 하지 않겠는가? 하지만 마음을 텅 비우는 게 그리 쉽지 않다.내가 눈 뜨고 있는 단 한 순간도 마음이 비지 않기 때문이다. (35쪽) 상한 음식을 먹으면 배탈이 난다. 배탈은 썩은 음식을 먹지 말라는 신호다. 그걸 무시하고 계속 상한 음식을 먹으면 심지어 목숨을 잃을 수도 있다. 영혼도 우리가 위험에 빠지면 끊임없이 신호를 보내준다. 영체를 통해 몸에 보내주기도 하고 온갖 크고 작은 장애물들을 여기저기 널려놓아 하던 일을 멈추라고 경고해주기도 한다. 그 무언의 경고는 우리가 진심으로 마음을 텅 비운 채 귀를 기울여야 비로소 제대로 들을 수 있다. (125쪽) 우주에는 무수한 생각이 떠다닌다. 다만 눈에 보이지 않을 뿐이다. 눈에 보이지 않는 수많은 TV와 라디오 주파수들이 공중에 떠다니는 것과 마찬가지다. 내가 나쁜 생각에 주파수를 맞춰 증폭시키면 나쁜 생각이 내 머릿속에 가득하고, 좋은 생각에 주파수를 맞춰 증폭시키면 좋은 생각이 가득하다. 이 무수한 생각은 인생이라는 연극을 위한 소품이다. 필요할 때 빌려 쓰고 나면 반드시 우주에 되돌려주어야 한다. 되돌려주는 데에는 어떤 특별한 노력도 필요하지 않다. 그저 머릿속에 가둬놓지 않으면 스스로 알아서 되돌아간다. (162쪽) “남이 내게 던지는 독을 받을 것인가, 말 것인가?”그건 전적으로 나의 선택이다. 왜냐하면 남이 내 머릿속에 뛰어들어 독을 집어넣을 수는 없기 때문이다. 만일 엉겁결에 남의 독이 이미 내 머릿속에 들어와 버렸다면 얼른 이렇게 되뇌어라.‘독아, 나한테 날아왔니? 내 머리는 활짝 열려 있으니 우주로 되돌아가렴.’ (179쪽) 인생도 연극이라는 사실을 분명히 깨닫는 순간, 똑같은 변화가 일어난다. 무엇보다도 ‘내 것’에 대한 집착에서 벗어난다. 내 것도, 네 것도 없다는 생각에 인생살이를 지나치게 심각히 받아들이지 않게 된다. 자신의 인생을 마치 관객처럼 바라보게 된다. 그래서 셰익스피어는 “세상은 무대다. 사람들은 등장인물들이다”라고 했다. (282쪽) 프롤로그_텅 비우지 못하는 게 문제다 1장. 진공묘유: 텅 비우면 오묘한 일이 일어난다 ‘나’를 열어놓는 것이 열쇠다│‘나’는 열면 열수록 넓어진다 1. 텅 빈 우주는 모든 정보로 가득하다 ‘목표와 나는 하나다’라고 생각하라│‘나’를 열면 남의 천재성도 빌릴 수 있다│모든 답도 우주에 들어 있다 2. 텅 빈 우주는 에너지로 가득하다 ‘나’를 열면 에너지가 흘러들어온다 3. 목표 달성 직전엔 반드시 진공이 있다 차원을 높이면 ‘불가능’이 돌연 ‘가능’으로 바뀐다 2장. 육신에 대한 집착 텅 비우기 나는 몸으로 조립된 존재인가?│사람은 육신과 영체의 합작품 1. 영체는 사랑이 양식이다 사랑이 막히면 병이 난다│사랑이 끊기면 지능도 끊긴다│사랑이 끊긴 아이는 로봇이 된다│사랑이 흐르면 생명도 흐른다 2. ‘진정한 나’는 누구인가? 영혼은 무엇이든 볼 수 있다│내 영혼은 어떤 능력을 갖추고 있을까?│빛으로부터 고도의 지능도 흘러나온다 3. 영혼의 존재를 부인할 수 없는 이유 4. 영혼이 내려주는 선물 마음의 상처를 치유해준다│위험을 경고해준다│직감을 준다│사랑을 베풀게 한다│자신의 내면을 바라보게 해준다│열정에 응답한다│진심으로 일을 사랑하면 반드시 기회를 준다 3장. 생각 텅 비우기 짓눌리면 튀어 오른다 1. 나는 생각으로 조립된 존재인가? 생각은 떼어낼 수 없는가?│생각은 사실인가?│되돌려주지 않으면 파리처럼 달라붙는다│달라붙은 생각이 인생을 망친다 2. 가둬놓지 않으면 저절로 날아간다 남의 독을 왜 내 머릿속에 가둬놓는가?│내 머릿속엔 독이 들어 있진 않은가?│머리를 활짝 열어놓으면 되돌아간다 3. 틀어박힌 생각과 대화하기 4. 왜 한 가지 생각에 파묻혀버릴까? 한 가지 생각에 빠져드는 속성│고정된 생각이 고정된 인생 트랙을 만들어낸다│무수한 ‘나’가 존재한다│나와 똑같은 사람이 했다면 나도 할 수 있다 5. 생각의 선택이 운명을 만든다 고미바다 어두운 선택을 하면 어두운 운명이 된다│고비마다 밝은 생각을 선택하면 밝은 운명이 된다│할 수 있는 것만 선택하면 무엇이든 할 수 있게 된다│생각을 바꾸면 그게 바로 ‘새로운 나’다 6. 평행우주에서 내가 원하는 나 선택하기 ‘달라진 나’ 속으로 뚜벅뚜벅 4장. 물질에 대한 탐욕 텅 비우기 일체유심조│초정밀 현미경으로 보면 실제로 비어 있다 1. 텅 비어 있는데 왜 보이나? 인생은 정말 꿈인가?│인생은 분명한 목적을 가진 연극이다│나를 바라보는 관찰자는 누구인가? 2. 인생의 설계도를 훔쳐보다 어떻게 족집게처럼 미래를 알아맞힐까?│모든 것의 설계도가 존재한다?│수십 년, 수천 년 앞도 훤히 내다본다│과거도 훤히 읽어낸다 3. 인생은 연극임을 깨닫는 순간 고통은 저절로 사라진다│고유의 배역을 찾게 된다│가슴이 끌리는 일이 나의 배역이다│배역을 찾으면 최고의 능력이 나온다│때로는 잔인한 배역도 있다│겉모습은 배역을 위한 가면일 뿐│세계 최고 부자들이 얻은 교훈 4. 인생은 돌고 돈다 모든 것이 낱낱이 기록된다│인생은 단 한 번으로 끝나지 않는다│윤회에는 정말 과학적 증거가 있는가? 5. 돌고 돌며 영혼을 갈고닦는다 불완전한 신체는 나 스스로 선택한 것│모든 고통에는 숨겨진 교훈이 있다│그녀가 바로 나다│착한 며느리, 나쁜 며느리│가족으로 만난 이유가 있다│배역은 매번 달라진다│남은 나의 거울이다 에필로그 - 나의 뒷모습을 보며 살아라. (shrink)