Editing Openai/680845c9-c944-8012-bafb-fa1bab1e9277 (section)

====== "First principles" in science are guiding logic, not purity tests. They are used to break down complex systems into fundamental truths, not to deny reality by redefining the terms of discovery so tightly that nothing qualifies. ======

If one insists that no microorganism can be said to exist unless it is observed in total isolation from its natural environment — no culture media, no host cells, no sequencing methods — then by that logic:
* Bacteria haven’t been proven to exist either, since they are cultured on agar (which is nutrient-rich and "contaminated" by design)
* Mitochondria haven’t been proven to exist, since they only survive in living cells
* Nothing in biology could ever be studied, because life by definition depends on environmental context

This is an abuse of scientific language. It is not an honest interpretation of first-principles reasoning — it’s a distortion engineered to reject any and all evidence.