Why does this difference make the action of South Carolina an “offense” that the federal government can punish “by the law of self-defense”?

In 1832, South Carolina declared that it had the power to nullify federal laws with which it disagreed -- namely, a set of tariffs designed to protect northern manufacturers. In response, President Andrew Jackson issued a proclamation asserting the Supreme Court's ultimate power to decide constitutional questions and emphasizing that its decisions had to be obeyed -- even though, earlier that same year, he had ignored the Court's decision in Worcester v. Georgia (prohibiting the forced removal of the Cherokee from Georgia)

It is meant that like tapestry scientific theories often need to pull out since they are not relevant and often times the whole chain of theories may be pulled out.