The Tyranny of Absolutes: How Experts Are Stealing Your Decision-Making Power

I remember a conversation with a friend, a novice investor, his eyes alight with newfound wisdom gleaned from a YouTube guru. "You have to put 90% of your money into index funds. Anything else is gambling," the guru declared, his voice unwavering, his certainty absolute. My friend, caught between awe and hesitation, turned to me. "Is this true? Should I just do what he says?" The question gnawed at me—not for its financial implications but for what it revealed about our willingness to surrender judgment at the altar of authority.

What made it worse? The same guru, buried in the fine print of his bio, had an escape hatch: This is not financial advice. Yet every syllable he uttered carried the weight of commandment, leaving his audience shackled to his absolutes while he remained untouchable.

There was a time when expertise meant illumination, the shedding of light on paths untraveled. Now, it has become something else entirely—an echo chamber of imperatives. Scroll through social media, tune into a podcast, or watch a viral video, and you’ll find self-anointed sages dispensing declarations:

• "You have to do this."

• "You should never do that."

• "You can’t succeed unless you follow this exact method."

The language of absolutes has become the currency of influence, reshaping not just how we think but whether we think at all.

We are creatures starved for certainty. The world is chaotic, decisions are burdensome, and nuance is an inconvenience. A definitive answer feels like a gift. Content creators know this. The simpler the message, the more engagement it garners. The more engagement, the more perceived authority. It’s a cycle—one that thrives on stripping away complexity until all that remains is a rigid, seductive binary: right or wrong, success or failure, do or don’t.

Social media does not reward contemplation. The algorithm does not favor a carefully weighed argument. It craves sharp edges, strong convictions, and declarations that demand a reaction. The result? The gradual erosion of critical thinking is replaced with a passive consumption of certainty. It is easier to accept an absolute than to wrestle with the grey areas of reality.

The real cost of this isn’t just misinformation—it’s the abdication of agency. When a fitness coach insists, "You should never do cardio if you want to build muscle," the audience is less likely to ask why. They won’t explore the delicate interplay between training intensity, recovery, and individual goals. Instead, they will simply obey.

I, too, once fell prey to this. Years ago, a professor I admired declared, "If you don’t wake up before 5 AM, you’re not serious about success." I took it as gospel, convinced that my future hinged on my ability to wrest myself from sleep before dawn. I dragged myself into the morning darkness, eyes heavy, thoughts sluggish. And after weeks of failure, I arrived at a realization—my most productive hours were in the night.

The professor had never accounted for the rhythms of individuality, the subtle pulse of what makes each of us tick. Yet I had given his decree more weight than my own experience. And just like the financial guru, this academic sage, too, had a quiet disclaimer: This is not life advice.

True expertise does not bind—it liberates. It does not hand down laws but offers lanterns, illuminating the terrain so that we may find our own way. Consider the difference between these two statements:

• Absolute: "You must wake up at 5 AM to be productive."

• Nuanced: "Many people find early mornings productive, but what matters more is aligning your schedule with your natural energy levels."

One is a cage. The other, a door left ajar.

So how do we resist the siren call of absolutes? We start by questioning the extremes. If someone says "always" or "never," pause. Ask yourself: Is there an exception? There usually is. Seek context—if advice comes without conditions, it’s likely too rigid to be universally true. Gather perspectives, hold them up to the light, and compare them. And most importantly, trust your own judgment. The best decisions are not dictated; they are discovered.

The rise of absolutes is a symptom of our fear of the unknown. But uncertainty is not the enemy. It is the space where thought flourishes, where possibility takes root. The next time you hear someone say, "You have to do this," or "You should never do that," resist the urge to accept it at face value. Pause. Consider. Decide for yourself. Because the power to choose is yours, and yours alone.

Disclaimer: This is not absolute advice