A trilemma is a difficult choice from three options, each of which is (or appears) unacceptable or unfavourable.
There are two logically equivalent ways in which to express a trilemma: it can be expressed as a choice among three unfavourable options, one of which must be chosen, or as a choice among three favourable options, only two of which are possible at the same time.
The term derives from the much older term dilemma, a choice between two or more difficult or unfavourable alternatives.
The earliest recorded use of the term was by the British preacher Philip Henry in 1672, and later, apparently independently, by the preacher Isaac Watts in 1725.
Read more about Trilemma: Trilemma in Law, Trilemmas in Economics, The Münchhausen Trilemma, The Trilemma of The Earth, The Žižek Trilemma
Other articles related to "trilemma":
... Albert's well known Münchhausen Trilemma is ironically named after Baron Münchhausen, who allegedly pulled himself out of a swamp seizing himself by his ... This trilemma rounds off the classical problem of justification in the theory of knowledge ... (3) The third horn of the trilemma is the application of a circular argument ...
... The Münchhausen Trilemma is that we have only three options when providing proof in this situation The circular argument, in which theory and proof support each other (i.e ... The trilemma, then, is the decision among the three equally unsatisfying options ... are supposed to be accepting the "circular" horn of the trilemma foundationalists are relying on the axiomatic argument ...
... The Münchhausen Trilemma, also called Agrippa's Trilemma, purports that it is impossible to prove any certain truth even in fields such as logic and mathematics ...
... repeatedly that there is no limitation of the Münchhausen-Trilemma to deductive conclusions ... This trilemma rounds off the classical problem of justification in the theory of knowledge ... any truth as expressed by the Münchhausen-Trilemma does not have to lead to dismissal of objectivity, as with relativism ...
... The “Žižek Trilemma” is a humorous formulation on the incompatibility of certain personal virtues under a constraining ideological framework ...