"Going back to first principles" ..... does that include reading text books?
Because the FAA text on flying helicopters is riddled with errors and misleading statements. Huge numbers of FAA-trained pilots emerge from their licence test with totally the wrong concept of what is keeping them in the air. Then they immediately get their instructor rating and teach the same errors to the next generation.
Your blurb is well-intentioned but is a little bit of pie floating around in the sky, looking for somewhere to crash. As you said, the safest place is on the ground, talking about flying.