Trilemma
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A trilemma is similar to a dilemma, but with three options that a choice must be made between. If the three options are mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive (i.e., they cover all the possibilities and you can't pick more than one), then the trilemma can be resolved by eliminating two of them.
The most famous trilemma -- often referred to simply as "the trilemma" -- is a form of apologetics meant to prove the divinity of Jesus. It is summarized as "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord." The argument states that Jesus claimed to be the son of God. Therefore, one of three things must be true:
1) Liar: Jesus was not the son of God, and he knew it, but he said so anyway.
2) Lunatic: Jesus was not the son of God, but he mistakenly believed that he was.
3) Lord: Jesus was the son of God, and thus spoke the truth.
Those who make the trilemma argument claim that the first two options are, for various reasons, not acceptable, and that therefore we must believe Jesus' claim to be the son of God. Two people usually associated with the trilemma are C. S. Lewis and Josh McDowell. Lewis saved the trilemma for people who claimed to believe the Bible, but thought that Jesus was only a good moral teacher. According to Lewis, if you truly believe the Bible (and particularly if you believe that the Bible accurately records Jesus' words) then it's impossible to believe that Jesus was merely a good moral teacher. McDowell, on the other hand, attempts to use the trilemma as a general apologetic tool for Christians and Non-Christians alike. First, he tries to demonstrate that the Bible is a reliable historical source. Once he believes he's established that, he uses the reliability of the Bible and the trilemma to the conclude that Jesus was divine.
Skeptics may answer that it does make sense to think Jesus was a liar or a lunatic, or that the biblical record is inaccurate and therefore we don't know that Jesus actually said he was the son of God.
In Economics, the trilemma (or, "irreconcilable trinity")is a term used in discussing the problems associated with creating a stable and politically acceptable international monetary system. It refers to the trade-offs of the following three goals: a fixed exchange rate, national independence in monetary policy, and capital mobility. No international financial system can accommodate all three of these goals, so in pursuing any two of these goals, a nation must forgo the third goal. Under the gold standard, governments accepted the loss of monetary autonomy in exchange for capital mobility and fixed exchange rates. A floating exchange rate is based on maintaining capital mobility and monetary autonomy. Under the Bretton Woods system, the emphasis was put on maintaining fixed exchange rates and monetary autonomy, in exchange for a loss in capital mobility. de:Trilemma nl:Trilemma