the.com/dilemma
a fork in the road where both paths step on rakes.
means A situation forcing a choice between two options, each of which is undesirable or difficult.
from From Greek 'dilemma,' built from 'di-' (two) plus 'lemma' (a premise or thing taken/assumed, from 'lambanein,' to take). In classical logic a dilemma was a two-pronged argument that trapped you whichever premise you accepted — hence the modern sense of being caught between two bad choices. It entered English in the 16th century via Late Latin, and the casual phrase 'caught on the horns of a dilemma' pictures exactly that: a bull whose two horns leave you nowhere safe to land.
- two horns
- Greek di-lemma literally means two propositions
- trilemma exists
- three bad options, because the universe is cruel
- prisoner's version
- betrayal is mathematically the rational choice
- buridan's ass
- a donkey starves choosing between two hay piles
- false ones
- most dilemmas hide a sneaky third door
trolley problem — philosophical thought experiment: kill one person to save five on railroad tracks
sophie's choice — 1982 film: mother forced to choose which child lives in nazi concentration camp
prisoner's dilemma — game theory: two criminals must decide whether to betray each other or cooperate