the.com/trilemma
three doors, all locked, and you're holding a key that fits none of them
means A difficult choice among three options, especially when all three are unappealing or only two of three desirable things can be had at once.
from A 17th-century coinage built by analogy to 'dilemma,' swapping its Greek 'di-' (two) for 'tri-' (three) while keeping '-lemma' (a thing taken, a premise or assumption, from Greek 'lambanein,' to take). 'Dilemma' itself named a logical fork with two horns; 'trilemma' simply gave the beast a third horn to gore you with.
- meaning
- choice among three equally rotten options
- economics
- central banks can't have all three monetary goals
- engineering
- pick two: fast, cheap, good
- word roots
- Greek tri plus lemma, meaning premise
- theology
- used to argue about God and evil
the impossible trinity — mundell-fleming model: countries cannot simultaneously have fixed exchange rates, free capital flows, and independent monetary policy
blockchain trilemma — ethereum's challenge to achieve decentralization, security, and scalability simultaneously, coined by vitalik buterin
eurozone trilemma — eu nations cannot maintain national sovereignty, full monetary integration, and political union at the same time