You're certainly right that philosophy operates at a higher level of generality than science or engineering. And your reframing of the question makes sense. The scientistic temptation is to think of the scientific framework as a panacea or cornucopia, a goose that keeps laying golden eggs. What else is there to do but take care of that goose and collect the eggs? No more framing of alternatives is needed, and no criticisms of the goose would be welcome.