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

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/