Plural form; things that are absolute, unconditional, or unlimited; in philosophy, fundamental principles or truths that don't depend on anything else.
From absolute (Latin absolutus) plus -s (plural marker), allowing 'absolute' to function as a countable noun in philosophical discourse. Medieval philosophers created plural forms to discuss multiple domains of absoluteness.
The shift from 'absolute' as an adjective to 'absolutes' as a noun shows how philosophy works—we take descriptors and substantialize them to discuss ideas as if they were objects, creating a mental furniture that doesn't physically exist.
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