This is a short post to introduce an idea I've been finding helpful.

Solution Absolutism: to dogmatically insist on a pure implementation of some particular solution to some problem, regardless of empirical demonstrations of its shortcomings or its incompatibility with one's other values.

As a consequence of being alive, we all have values (opens new window), the things we want merely for their own sake (happiness, love, beauty, wisdom, etc). Then with our values in mind, we can use empirical investigation (opens new window) to figure out how to actually get what we value, often by pursuing merely instrumental (opens new window) goals (money, resources, employment, ownership, "economic value").

To put it in fancy mathematical terms, values are axiomatic claims (opens new window) and instrumental goals are empirical claims (opens new window).

You're never going to be convinced you don't want to be happy (axioms aren't up for debate); but you might be convinced that money won't make you happy (particular solutions are up for debate).

Solution Absolutism is to foolishly treat an instrumental goal as a value, insisting that nothing else could possibly be good enough even when it obviously could.

It's easy to make this mistake, since particular solutions or systems can seem to embody one's fundamental values. But ultimately if someone could show you a completely different solution that was nonetheless fulfilling your values, you'd really have no choice but to admit your chosen solution wasn't essential after all.

This concept is closely related to the idea of fundamentalism (opens new window) which is more and more used to describe non-religious beliefs (opens new window). But I think "absolutism" is more clear and less historically confused (opens new window).

Some examples of Solution Absolutism in the wild:

• Market Absolutism (opens new window): treating "markets" as the purpose of a society, instead of recognizing they're merely a particular design to help us coordinate our efforts to achieve our real goals of prosperity etc.
• Anti-Market Absolutism: it would be similarly foolish to believe that markets are never a useful tool, or could never be designed to solve particular problems in particular ways.
• LLM Absolutism (opens new window): treating "adoption of AI" as an end rather than a means to an end.