So... parasites can have some "side effects" that can be beneficial to the host.
Kinda defeats the meaning of "parasite," doesn't it?
Meh, not so much. How so?
Some benefit doesn't negate all the harm. If I give a dollar and punch you in the face, that you've benefited from the dollar doesn't mean I haven't harmed you.
"Soft" because it's not "hard" like the physical sciences.
I know what you meant... but why?
FYI, "hard" science distinguishes from
social science. Physical science distinguishes from natural science. Biology is a natural science so, even though you're right that it isn't a physical science, it is a "hard" science.
quote:
Hard science is a term used to describe natural sciences and physical sciences as distinct from social science. The hard sciences are believed to rely on experimental, empirical, quantifiable data or the scientific method and focus on accuracy and objectivity.
source
(Geologists know where the rocks came from, but biologists don't know where life came from.)
That is not how "hard" and "soft" science is distinguished.
"Misunderstood" because it is often necessarily ambiguous.
No, not really.
There is nothing ambiguous about the definition of parasite that is necessary for allowing for the host to benefit in some way.