John,
  I appreciate that you want to get as far away from “metaphysics” as you can. I just want you to be clear that we mean different things by the term.

  To see my meaning, consider that you talk frequently about getting mainstream biologists “out of the box” of description after the fact (i.e., consequences of natural selection) and into the box of view life from its origins via first principles that allow for a mechanistic understanding more akin to the physical and chemical sciences.

The Alice in Wonderland-out-of-the-box-shift that you frequently refer to is, in my language game, referencing the metaphysical system (i.e., the ideas or conceptual framework) that functions to interpret the data. The mainstream biological “box” that you are fighting against is the metaphysical system, and, as you have experienced, it is a very powerful force 😊.

Best,
G

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