IMO part of this is that nuanced processing is actually a very expensive operation and people would be unable to function without some level of abstraction- lan

IMO part of this is that nuanced processing is actually a very expensive operation and people would be unable to function without some level of abstraction- language as in all things. That's why, for example, Jeff Vandermeer writes in his Wonderbook that each author has a "thorn", something that bugs them and compels them to write and explore infinite nuances of the topic of their focus.