trilemma

See also: Trilemma

English

WOTD – 3 March 2018

Etymology

The project management triangle is a trilemma (sense 2): it claims that a project can be completed cheaply and quickly, quickly and well, or well and cheaply, but not all three at once

The word is modelled on dilemma, with di- (“two, twice, double”) replaced by tri-[Term?] +‎ three.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /tɹaɪˈlɛmə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmə
• Hyphenation: tri‧lem‧ma

Noun

trilemma (plural trilemmas or trilemmata)

1. A circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options that seem equally undesirable.
   • 1853 March, “Article I. The Mode of Baptism.”, in The True Baptist, volume I, number 3, Jackson, Miss.: Published by the editor, →OCLC, page 76:

     With all these dilemmas and trilemmas crowding the mind, if one did not know better, one might be tempted to doubt whether any such versions were ever made at all.

2. A situation in which a choice must be made among three desirable options, only two of which are possible at the same time.
   • 2004 March, Maurice Obstfeld, Jay C. Shambaugh, Alan M. Taylor, “The Trilemma in History: Tradeoffs among Exchange Rates, Monetary Policies, and Capital Mobility”, in Econometrics Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley‎^[1], →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 August 2017, page 1:

     At the most general level, policymakers in open economies face a macroeconomic trilemma: 1. to stabilize the exchange rate; 2. to enjoy free international capital mobility; 3. to engage in a monetary policy oriented toward domestic goals. Because only two out of the three objectives can be mutually consistent, policymakers must decide which one to give up.

   • 2018 April 18, Stephen Farry, Sorcha Eastwood, “Good Friday Agreement: why it matters in Brexit”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), ukandeu.ac.uk:

     The UK government has forced itself into a trilemma in which it has adopted three positions, only two of which can be achieved at any one time: to avoid a hard border within the island of Ireland; for the UK as whole to leave both the customs union and the single market; and to rule out any special arrangements for Northern Ireland in relation to a customs union and single market.

   • 2022, Hans-Michael Trautwein, “Globalization, Fragmentation and the Evolution of Economic Thinking”, in The Review of Keynesian Studies‎^[2], volume 4, Chiba: Keynes Society Japan, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 April 2026, pages 16 and 18:

     The trilemma states that it is impossible for national governments to have all three of the following institutions in place at the same time: an autonomous monetary policy, a fixed foreign exchange rate, and full capital mobility. […] The present context of economic and political fragmentation, however, suggests that the best, if not only, way to deal with fragmentation under the two trilemmata – the Mundellian and the one described by Rodrik – is anything but national self-sufficiency.

   • 2023 June 2, Charles Xie, “Trilemma Trade-Offs: A New CAP Theorem For Vector Databases Has Emerged”, Forbes Technology Council, in Forbes‎^[3], Forbes Media, archived from the original on 6 June 2023:

     In computing, the unconquerable trilemma is embodied in the well-known CAP theorem for distributed systems, also called Brewer’s CAP theorem. This states that any distributed database can only attain two of three guarantees: consistency, availability and partition tolerance.

3. (logic) An argument containing three alternatives, jointly exhaustive either under any condition(s) or under all condition(s) consistent with the universe of discourse of that argument, that each imply the same conclusion.
   • 1851, [James William Gilbart], Logic for the Million: A Familiar Exposition of the Art of Reasoning, London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, →OCLC, part IV (The Points of Reasoning), section V (Reasoning by Compound Syllogism), subsection III (The Trilemma), page 324:

     It has been remarked as a characteristic of the late Sir Robert Peel, that in introducing his measures to the House of Commons, he often used the trilemma. "Three courses are before us—to go backward, to stand still, to go forward. We cannot go backward; we cannot stand still; we must, then, go forward."

   • 1862 July 1, “Art. VII.—(1.) Kirche und Kirchen, Papstthum und Kirchenstaat. Historisch-politische Bertrachtungen von Joh. Jos. Ign. v. Döllinger. Zweiter unveränderter Abdruck. München: 1861. (2.) The Church and the Churches; or, The Papacy and The Temporal Power. An Historical and Political Review. By Dr. Döllinger. Translated by William Bernard MacCabe. London: 1862.”, in The British Quarterly Review, volume XXXVI, number LXXI, London: Jackson, Walford, & Hodder 18, St. Paul's Churchyard and Simpkin, Marshall and Co., Stationers' Hall Court; Edinburgh: W. Oliphant & Co.; Glasgow: J[ames] MacLehose; Dublin: J. Robertson, →OCLC, page 156:

     And in anticipation of it, while he [Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger] declares at one moment that it would be profane to limit Divine Providence to an alternative, he affirms in the next that there can be no harm whatever in shutting it up to a supposed exhaustive trilemma.

   • 2007 September, Jochen Fahrenberg, Marcus Cheetham, “Assumptions About Human Nature and the Impact of Philosophical Concepts on Professional Issues […]”, in Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, volume 14, number 3, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 185 and 187:

     In three instances, the format of a trilemma, consisting of three obviously contradictory statements, were chosen to induce a more in-depth deliberation and careful consideration of the item response. […] A questionnaire was submitted to further analysis if certain requirements were fulfilled: (1) the multiple choice item regarding mind–body, the three trilemmata, and the multiple choice item regarding belief in God were answered, and (2) fewer than four missing data from the core of 49 remaining items.

   • 2010, Peter Milne, “Frege’s folly: bearerless names and Basic Law V”, in Michael Potter, Tom Ricketts, editors, The Cambridge Companion to Frege (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 477 and 504:

     The following constitute an inconsistent triad (which we may call ‘Frege’s trilemma’): (i) The truth-equivalence (ii) The functional reading of negation (iii) The truth-value gap thesis concerning the thoughts expressed by sentences containing bearerless names. […] What were called above Frege’s and Dummett’s trilemmata show that we cannot maintain all that Frege says about truth.

Coordinate terms

• dilemma (two options)
• tetralemma (four options)
• polylemma

Derived terms

• Agrippa's trilemma
• Lewis's trilemma
• Münchhausen trilemma
• trilemmatic

Related terms

• lemma

Translations

circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options

• Catalan: trilema
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 三难困境 (sānnánkùnjìng)

• Czech: trilema n
• Dutch: trilemma (nl)
• Esperanto: trilemo
• French: trilemme (fr) m
• Galician: trilema
• Georgian: ტრილემა (ṭrilema)
• German: Trilemma (de) n
• Greek: τρίλημμα (el) n (trílimma)
• Indonesian: trilema
• Italian: trilemma (it) m
• Japanese: 三すくみ (ja)
• Korean: 트릴레마 (teurillema)
• Portuguese: trilema
• Russian: трилемма (ru) (trilemma)
• Spanish: trilema
• Vietnamese: tam nan

(logic) argument containing three alternatives

• Czech: trilema n
• Esperanto: trilemo
• Galician: trilema m
• Russian: трилемма (ru) (trilemma)

Further reading

• trilemma on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Etymology

From English trilemma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtrilemːɑ/, [ˈt̪rile̞mːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ilemːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): tri‧lem‧ma
• Hyphenation^(key): tri‧lem‧ma

Noun

trilemma

1. trilemma

Declension

Inflection of trilemma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		trilemma	trilemmat
genitive		trilemman	trilemmojen
partitive		trilemmaa	trilemmoja
illative		trilemmaan	trilemmoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		trilemma	trilemmat
accusative	nom.	trilemma	trilemmat
	gen.	trilemman
genitive		trilemman	trilemmojen trilemmain rare
partitive		trilemmaa	trilemmoja
inessive		trilemmassa	trilemmoissa
elative		trilemmasta	trilemmoista
illative		trilemmaan	trilemmoihin
adessive		trilemmalla	trilemmoilla
ablative		trilemmalta	trilemmoilta
allative		trilemmalle	trilemmoille
essive		trilemmana	trilemmoina
translative		trilemmaksi	trilemmoiksi
abessive		trilemmatta	trilemmoitta
instructive		—	trilemmoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of trilemma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative trilemmani trilemmani accusative nom. trilemmani trilemmani gen. trilemmani genitive trilemmani trilemmojeni trilemmaini rare partitive trilemmaani trilemmojani inessive trilemmassani trilemmoissani elative trilemmastani trilemmoistani illative trilemmaani trilemmoihini adessive trilemmallani trilemmoillani ablative trilemmaltani trilemmoiltani allative trilemmalleni trilemmoilleni essive trilemmanani trilemmoinani translative trilemmakseni trilemmoikseni abessive trilemmattani trilemmoittani instructive — — comitative — trilemmoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative trilemmasi trilemmasi accusative nom. trilemmasi trilemmasi gen. trilemmasi genitive trilemmasi trilemmojesi trilemmaisi rare partitive trilemmaasi trilemmojasi inessive trilemmassasi trilemmoissasi elative trilemmastasi trilemmoistasi illative trilemmaasi trilemmoihisi adessive trilemmallasi trilemmoillasi ablative trilemmaltasi trilemmoiltasi allative trilemmallesi trilemmoillesi essive trilemmanasi trilemmoinasi translative trilemmaksesi trilemmoiksesi abessive trilemmattasi trilemmoittasi instructive — — comitative — trilemmoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative trilemmamme trilemmamme accusative nom. trilemmamme trilemmamme gen. trilemmamme genitive trilemmamme trilemmojemme trilemmaimme rare partitive trilemmaamme trilemmojamme inessive trilemmassamme trilemmoissamme elative trilemmastamme trilemmoistamme illative trilemmaamme trilemmoihimme adessive trilemmallamme trilemmoillamme ablative trilemmaltamme trilemmoiltamme allative trilemmallemme trilemmoillemme essive trilemmanamme trilemmoinamme translative trilemmaksemme trilemmoiksemme abessive trilemmattamme trilemmoittamme instructive — — comitative — trilemmoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative trilemmanne trilemmanne accusative nom. trilemmanne trilemmanne gen. trilemmanne genitive trilemmanne trilemmojenne trilemmainne rare partitive trilemmaanne trilemmojanne inessive trilemmassanne trilemmoissanne elative trilemmastanne trilemmoistanne illative trilemmaanne trilemmoihinne adessive trilemmallanne trilemmoillanne ablative trilemmaltanne trilemmoiltanne allative trilemmallenne trilemmoillenne essive trilemmananne trilemmoinanne translative trilemmaksenne trilemmoiksenne abessive trilemmattanne trilemmoittanne instructive — — comitative — trilemmoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative trilemmansa trilemmansa accusative nom. trilemmansa trilemmansa gen. trilemmansa genitive trilemmansa trilemmojensa trilemmainsa rare partitive trilemmaansa trilemmojaan trilemmojansa inessive trilemmassaan trilemmassansa trilemmoissaan trilemmoissansa elative trilemmastaan trilemmastansa trilemmoistaan trilemmoistansa illative trilemmaansa trilemmoihinsa adessive trilemmallaan trilemmallansa trilemmoillaan trilemmoillansa ablative trilemmaltaan trilemmaltansa trilemmoiltaan trilemmoiltansa allative trilemmalleen trilemmallensa trilemmoilleen trilemmoillensa essive trilemmanaan trilemmanansa trilemmoinaan trilemmoinansa translative trilemmakseen trilemmaksensa trilemmoikseen trilemmoiksensa abessive trilemmattaan trilemmattansa trilemmoittaan trilemmoittansa instructive — — comitative — trilemmoineen trilemmoinensa