Bruce really said it beautifully. I can only add a couple of thoughts...
None of the "laws" you have chosen to ask to be converted to are "laws" at all. They are suggestions. Granted, not everyone is as skilled with words (or simply has the desire to put out the effort) to get that fact across, so their suggestions sometimes come across as hard-and-fast rules. But honestly....any thinking person can and should be able to read the caresheets and read the discussion threads and pick out which suggestions they think it smart to follow, and which they think they don't need.
Two identical hides: Of course a ball python can live just fine with two different hides...or three or four....or just one....or even none at all. BUT...if you are new to keeping these creatures and want to be sure to minimize as many different sources of stress or error as possible...then two identical hides is a perfectly logical suggestion. Then you eliminate the question about whether your snake is favoring one hide to the detriment of proper temps or whatever.
Enclosure size: There are some babies that do just fine in larger enclosures. But this OFTEN stresses them out. So, for a beginner who wishes to have as few worries as possible, it's perfectly logical to suggest that they use a smaller enclosure for their snake. As the snake gets older....it becomes more a matter of the keeper's convenience and how much work they want to put into maintaining proper temperatures and humidity in a really large enclosure...not to mention the effort of keeping it clean. So again...it's logical to suggest smaller enclosures, especially for larger collections....as the snakes thrive in them as well.
I could go on and on with the discussion of f/t or live feeding. It all boils down to the keeper making their own choices about what works best for them versus the risks involved.
You don't need to be "converted".....you just need to understand that there is nothing wrong with these things being suggested to someone just starting out who wants to learn to walk before they start running marathons.
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