dilemma
American Heritage Dictionary:
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di·lem·ma
(dĭ-lĕm'ə) 
n.
n.
- A situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.
- Usage Problem. A problem that seems to defy a satisfactory solution.
- Logic. An argument that presents two alternatives, each of which has the same consequence.
[Late Latin, from Greek dilēmma, ambiguous proposition : di-, two; see di-1 + lēmma, proposition; see lemma1.]
dilemmatic dil'em·mat'ic (dĭl'ə-măt'ĭk) adj.USAGE NOTE A dilemma is a situation in which a choice must be made between alternative courses of action or argument. Although citational evidence attests to widespread use of the term meaning simply "problem" or "predicament" and involving no issue of choice, 58 percent of the Usage Panel in our 1999 survey rejected the sentence Historically, race has been the great dilemma of democracy. • It is sometimes claimed that because the di- in dilemma comes from a Greek prefix meaning "two," the word should be used only when exactly two choices are involved. Nevertheless, 64 percent of the Usage Panel in our 1988 survey accepted its use for choices among three or more options.
Fowler's Modern English Usage:
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dilemma
is now more usually pronounced with the first syllable rhyming with die. The correct meaning is 'a choice between two undesirable alternatives' and has its origin in rhetoric and logic, where it relates to a special kind of argument involving two unfavourable choices. It should not be used as a mere synonym of difficulty, problem, and similar words, although overlap in meanings will often blur the distinction. Examples: (correct)
The dilemma is logically insoluble: we cannot sacrifice either freedom or the organization needed for its defence—Isaiah Berlin, 1949
It is possible to raise only one cheer for user charges as a means of avoiding the dilemma of cutting public services or increasing taxes—Times, 1976
(questionable) He was caught in a dilemma, a choice between doing a show or going on a much-needed vacation—D. Halberstam, 1979
Three corridors: one to the left, one ahead, one to the right...'Dilemma. Left, right or centre?'—Dirk Bogarde, 1980
Mr Salmond has a dilemma: if he cancels the trams, he is thwarting the will of parliament, but if he allows it to go ahead he will be going against the will of his party—Scotsman, 2007.A moral dilemma is a choice between two morally questionable courses of action:
He would tell children a story with a moral dilemma. He would ask them to tell him 'who is naughtier': a boy who accidentally broke fifteen cups or a boy who breaks one cup trying to reach a jam jar when his mother is not around—Selfhelp Magazine, 2004
Ashanti has a moral dilemma. Should she tell her best friend Trina that her boyfriend is sleeping with new girl on the block Donna?—Guardian, 2005(a genuine dilemma since both telling and not telling involve moral difficulties). In many cases, the context does not enable us to judge whether the usage is strictly correct, because not enough details are given for this:
That a rising young officer with an eye for suspicious behaviour might have moral dilemmas is tantalisingly never explored—Sunday Times, 2005.As a working rule, however, moral dilemma should not be used where clearly only a single moral difficulty is involved.
| dilatory, dilatation, dilation, digraph | |
| dilettante, dingo, diocese |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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dilemma
Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy:
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dilemma
The simplest form of a dilemma is an argument of the form: ‘If p then q, if not-p then q, so in any event q.’ More complex forms were traditionally distinguished. A constructive dilemma is of the form: ‘If p then r, if q then r, but either p or q, so r.’ A destructive dilemma is of the form: ‘If p then q, and if p then r, but either not-q or not-r, so not-p.’ The two conditional premises of a dilemma are called its horns. Escaping between the horns of the dilemma is denying the disjunction ‘p or q’; taking it by the horns is denying one of the conditionals. The notion generalizes to trilemmas, in which there are three horns (see, for example, Bayle's trilemma). For other dilemmas see Euthyphro dilemma, moral dilemmas, prisoners' dilemma.
Word Tutor:
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dilemma
IN BRIEF: A difficult choice between things that are equally unpleasant.
Nuclear war is not a military problem; it is a moral dilemma.
— King Hussein (1935-1999).
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'dilemma'
- Logic - dilemma: syllogism in which major premise contains two or more conditional propositions and minor premise is a disjunction
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Dilemma
For other uses, see Dilemma (disambiguation).
"Between a rock and a hard place" redirects here. For other uses, see Between a Rock and a Hard Place (disambiguation).
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) |
A dilemma (Greek: δί-λημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is practically acceptable. One in this position has been traditionally described as "being on the horns of a dilemma", neither horn being comfortable. This is sometimes more colorfully described as "Finding oneself impaled upon the horns of a dilemma", referring to the sharp points of a bull's horns, equally uncomfortable (and dangerous).
The dilemma is sometimes used as a rhetorical device, in the form "you must accept either A, or B"; here A and B would be propositions each leading to some further conclusion. Applied incorrectly, it constitutes a false dichotomy, a fallacy.
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Contents
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Types of dilemmas
Colorful names have been given to many types of dilemmas.
- Double bind: conflicting requirements ensure that the victim will automatically be wrong.
- Ethical dilemma: a choice between moral imperatives.
- Extortion: the choice between paying the extortionist and suffering an unpleasant action.
- Fairness dilemmas: when groups are faced with making decisions about how to share their resources, rewards, or payoffs
- Hobson's choice: a choice between something and nothing; "take it or leave it".
- Morton's fork: choices yield equivalent, often undesirable, results.
- Prisoner's dilemma: An inability to coordinate makes cooperation difficult and defection tempting.
- Samaritan's dilemma: the choice between providing charity, improving another's condition, and withholding it, preventing them from becoming dependent.
- Sophie's choice: a choice between two persons or things that will result in the death or destruction of the person or thing not chosen.
- Zugzwang: One must move and incur harm when one would prefer to make no move (esp. in chess).
Related terms
Several idioms describe dilemmas:
- "Between Scylla and Charybdis"
- "Lesser of two evils"
- "Between a rock and a hard place", since both objects or metaphorical choices are rough.
- "Between the devil and the deep blue sea"
A dilemma with more than two forks is sometimes called a trilemma (3), tetralemma (4), or polylemma.
The incorrect spelling dilemna is often seen in common usage. It appears to have been taught in many areas of the United States and all over the world, including (but not limited to) France, England, Jamaica and Australia.[1][2][3] There is no prima facie reason for this substitution error and there is no erroneous parallel to be found with the word lemma, from which dilemma derives.
Use in logic
In formal logic, the definition of a dilemma differs markedly from everyday usage. Two options are still present, but choosing between them is immaterial because they both imply the same conclusion. Symbolically expressed thus:
Which can be translated informally as "one (or both) of A or B is known to be true, but they both imply C, so regardless of the truth values of A and B we can conclude C."
There are also constructive dilemmas and destructive dilemmas.
Constructive dilemmas
- 1. (If X, then Y) and (If W, then Z).
- 2. X or W.
- 3. Therefore, Y or Z..
- 4. All are possible.
Destructive dilemmas
- 1. (If X, then Y) and (If W, then Z).
- 2. Not Y or not Z.
- 3. Therefore, not X or not W.
See also
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Look up dilemma in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
References
- ^ "dilemma / dilemna". wordwizard.com. http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20317. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ "dilemma or dilemna". askmehelpdesk.com. http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/advice/t-60211.html. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ "Dilemna vs. Dilemma". brighthaven.wordpress.com. http://brighthaven.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/dilemna-vs-dilemma/#comment-5186. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Dilemma
Dansk (Danish)
n. - dilemma, knibe
Nederlands (Dutch)
tweestrijd, dilemma
Français (French)
n. - dilemme
Deutsch (German)
n. - Dilemma, Bedrängnis, Zwiespalt
Português (Portuguese)
n. - dilema (m)
Español (Spanish)
n. - dilema, tipo de silogismo
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dilemma
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
困境, 进退两难, 两难推理, 两刀论法
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 困境, 進退兩難, 兩難推理, 兩刀論法
idioms:
- on the horns of a dilemma 進退きわまって
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) حاله يجب على شخص أن يختار بين بديلين غير مرغوب فيهما, حيرة, ورطه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מצב של צורך לבחור בין שתי אפשרויות, דילמה, תסבוכת, מצב קשה
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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