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February 2, 20260 citationsOpen Access

Myth of Metaphysical Neutrality: How Denying Ontology Distorts Science, AI, and Understanding Itself

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BTBruno Tonetto

Key Points

  • The essay aims to demonstrate that metaphysical assumptions underlie all scientific and technological inquiries.
  • Analysis of contemporary scientific and technological perspectives on metaphysics.
  • Examination of philosophical arguments regarding ontology in research programs.
  • Exploration of the implications of denying metaphysical questions for science and AI.
  • Highlights the necessity of metaphysical assumptions in scientific models and predictions.
  • Argues that the claim of neutrality is fundamentally flawed due to inherent ontological commitments.
  • Presents a framework for understanding consciousness through metaphysical lenses.

Abstract

Abstract: A widely respected posture in contemporary scientific and technological culture claims that metaphysics is optional—that serious inquiry concerns models, predictions, and engineering results, not ontological speculation. This essay argues that such neutrality is impossible. Every research program presupposes some account of what exists, what counts as evidence, and what kinds of explanation are admissible. Part of the Return to Consciousness research program—18 philosophical essays exploring consciousness-first metaphysics. Full project: https://brunoton.github.io/return-to-consciousness/

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Cite This Study

Bruno Tonetto (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6980ff08c1c9540dea811aa5https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18431035
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Epistemic Authority: What Ontology Leaves Unresolved2025
  2. 2Against (theory-neutral) method (in consciousness science)2026
  3. 3Asymmetric Methodological Restraint: Reassessing Consciousness-First Ontology2026
  4. 4Ontological Diversity in Theoretical Physics and Its Significance for Consciousness Research2025
  5. 5First-Principles Assessment: Physicalism and Idealism at First Principles2026