[AndrewC]

Thanks for the ping.

To the contrary, every view of science rests on some view of reality, explicitly or implicitly; or, to put it another way, every view of science rests on explicit or assumed first principles.

The heart of the matter.

[xzins]

every view of science rests on explicit or assumed first principles.

I do think that is a basic premise of science. They have a world view that both guides their inquiries, and a worldview that they adapt after they have received new data.