I often marvel at the many ways we choose to misunderstand each other.
We groan at the old joke: I just flew in from Orlando and boy are my arms tired! but we often take each other in such stark terms.
Literalism, as an understanding of the world, is related to concrete sequential thinking: an early stage in the development of language and communication.
We all go through this developmental stage. In a sense, we’re all born as little literalists. Then we learn about nuance and complexity.
We may desire to keep everything simple. So we use literalism, not as merely one choice among many, but as a means of intentionally misunderstanding. To avoid the complex truth. And to maintain our convictions. Not as generous conversationalists, but as warriors, defending truth.