The Horns of a Trilemma

Alistair Young

Mar 11, 2012 — 1 min read

an-lorzhár íren-eloé aldamanyr – lit. “trapped between the gods”; this expression indicates that one is caught in a particular type of dilemma. Recall, if you will, that in mainstream eldraeic belief the deities are iconic, partially-personified representations of fundamental principles: creation, knowledge, trade, love, invention, war, and so forth. Thus, one who is “trapped between the gods” faces a dilemma not merely in choice-optimization, but in which of two dearly held principles in conflict they must adhere to, and which defy.

See also: an-lorzhár íren-eloé rian, “trapped between blades”, for lesser dilemmas where one must optimize for the least bad option, and an-yalcetár eloé qanlin quel, “cursed with an abundance of good things”, for those lesser dilemmas in which one must optimize for the best choice among mutually exclusive goods.

– A Treasury of Eldraeic Metaphor

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