The inability to solve the dark energy/matter problem within the current paradigm has prompted many physicists to seek an answer in the nature of a vacuum. It has long been recognized that a vacuum is not empty; rather, according to the quantum hypothesis, a vacuum contains vacuum fluctuations. However, this approach has not resolved the dark energy/matter problem. The new paradigm presented herein begins with the basics. First, a definition of space is formulated, which leads to the definition of mass. From these definitions, it follows that unorganized mass is present everywhere as the background of all phenomena. By considering this unorganized mass, the physical mechanism of gravity is clarified, and various phenomena are unified. In particular, dark energy/matter is shown to be a simple special case of the extended concept of gravity. This new paradigm also provides a unified viewpoint of various phenomena associated with the deflection of light rays: “total internal reflection” (in which reflection does not occur), diffraction at the edge of an opaque obstacle, and the deviation of light rays near the Sun. On the same basis, we predicted and experimentally confirmed deviation of a laser beam in the empty gap between the Casimir plates. This new paradigm provides physical explanations for more than 10 phenomena and paradoxes, with potential for further explanations.