Britannica 11th · 11th edition

Trilemma

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OCR text aligned to scanned pagesVol. 27, pp. 282-2821910–1911

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This entry is linked to Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. The cited range is Vol. 27, pp. 282-282.

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TRILEMMA (Gr. rpeis, three, Xij/z/ia, something taken), in logic, an argument akin to the dilemma (q.v.), in which there are three possibilities. By getting rid of two, the third is proved, provided the original three exhaust the number. The terms " tetralemma " (four possibilities) and " polylemma " (many) have also been used.