Jonathan,
Thank you for your extensive comment. I think we must distinguish here the difference between natural and humanly fabricated material. One real unique Universe can only do one real thing, once. There is no such real thing as basic, or fundamental condition. Just because man can make particles, it does not follow that everything must be made out of particles. The only things that are made out of particles are particles. It would be very odd if certain mental particles only freely assembled in the brains of physicists in order for them to be able to build technology that could produce particles. I do not see how physicists could pretend to know more about reality than a piece of lettuce or a duck-billed platypus could.
Joe