When people speak in absolutes, they are defining the terms in the most extreme way possible.
The absolutist seeks impossible perfection.
For her, the world only makes sense when it fits her prescription. Good and evil are measurable, defined, and separate.
And the world rarely behaves. Which is intolerable. So she often behaves like a child who cannot have a toy. Or a scientist who doesn’t like the data.
For the absolutist, it doesn’t make sense. Perfection really is possible, given the right circumstances!
Absolutes are extremes.
We pretend they’re normal. You know, within the range of mainstream and typical. Because so many people think in absolutes. But it is a form of extremism.
Absolutists toward free speech are taking an extreme position toward free speech. So are centrists, who often take an absolute position against extremism.
When everything is reduced to absolutes, then the world itself becomes a paradox. And operating with extremes is bound to give the rest of us whiplash.