literalism
Literalism is the noble folly of excluding the messy context and clinging to a word’s face value. It dismisses historical background and metaphor as unnecessary meddlers, effectively banishing the original spirit of the text beyond sight. As a testament to one’s inflexible conviction, it’s unparalleled—yet its obstinacy turns any dialogue into a barren desert. Misuse of literalism can instantly regress communication to a prehistoric era. In the end, its practitioners shrug and declare, “I merely read what was there.”