Maybe few people know what a dilemma is, but everyone has come across it in life. Consider today the meaning of the word, its origin, and clarify for ourselves once and for all its spelling so that then there would be no difficulties.
Greek origin. Mathematics and Spelling
By this definition we are obliged to the Greek language. A literal translation from Greek means "double lemma." Thus, it is not so difficult to remember how this word is spelled: with one “m” or with two. It is only necessary to clearly understand that the lemma is an auxiliary theorem in mathematics that has no independent value, it is only necessary to prove another theorem. And only two letters “m” are always written in this term.
If the information above is stored in memory, then there will be no problems with the spelling of the word. Sometimes a deck is shuffled very bizarrely, as M. A. Bulgakov wrote, and knowledge of mathematics can help to make fewer mistakes in the Russian language, and he does not have a question about how to write a “dilemma” or “dilemma”.
Value
Now we are quite ready to discover the meaning of this wonderful concept. We will use the explanatory dictionary, as always, because we have no reason not to trust him. In it we find two meanings:
- The combination of judgments, conclusions with two opposite provisions, excluding the possibility of a third.
- A situation in which the choice of one of two opposite solutions is equally difficult.
In the first meaning, this definition is known to mathematicians and logicians, and in the second it is known to more or less all educated people, regardless of the particular specialization. Therefore, we will speak specifically about the second meaning.
When it became clear what the dilemma was, one could already turn to specific examples and at the same time reflect on a rather interesting question.
An example of everyday dilemma - choosing a university
All people aged 17 years are aware of the ordeal of choosing the educational institution where they are going to continue their education. The USE, of course, greatly simplified the admission procedure: you can pass one exam, and then send the result to different universities in the country, and then how it goes. If you are lucky, a person falls into a more prestigious institution, if fortune is turned away - in less, but one way or another, he will have a refuge for the next 4 years (undergraduate) or 5 years (specialty). The main difficulty here is to choose. And imagine the situation of reflection as a dilemma: where to go to study, to become a doctor or art critic? And here it is worth stopping and saying that in such a situation the dilemma is false. And the last one needs clarification.
If an applicant is told that he has only two ways: either to become a doctor or an expert in, say, Picasso, then he will be misled. Because the possibilities of an unhappy, frightened yesterday's school student are much greater. He can become anyone. There is no dilemma here (fortunately, the meaning of the word is no longer necessary), all barriers are only in the mind.
Unfortunately, we often do not see and do not know any other possibilities for the development of events, except for two. Thus, the river of our life can now flow only in two directions, along two channels. And this thought is completely false and even in a sense criminal.
But fortunately, applicants are now much smarter. They do not allow themselves to be embarrassed and trapped in a similar dilemma (what this word is, it’s already clear).
Ethical dilemmas
First a little tediousness. But it will be quite a bit. It is necessary to distinguish between concepts. So, ethics is the science of morality. The first term has two interpretations: firstly, as an internal characteristic of a personality, the development of its moral qualities (truthfulness, honesty, nobility), and secondly, as a set of moral norms and rules accepted in society. According to other sources, morality is the external establishment of society, and morality is an assessment of the individual’s inner world. Sometimes ethics is understood as the rules and regulations of a particular social group (ethics of a particular profession, subculture) or teachings (Christian ethics, Buddhist ethics).
More importantly, there is no such distinction in living Russian. That is, the ethical dilemma can be called moral or moral, and the meaning will remain the same. Ethics include issues:
- good and evil;
- free will;
- the meaning of life and the purpose of man;
- ratio of due and desired.
Of course, this is far from all, but this rough outline is enough for our tasks. More important is another: ethical dilemmas cannot be called false. For example, if we take the global problem of good and evil, then we cannot say that a person can be on the side of evil or on the side of good. Each of us always chooses the team for which he prefers to play. And while the man himself is contradictory, no one can be called one hundred percent good or evil. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses in a moral sense. The remaining blocks of ethical knowledge are even more confusing, but interesting.
The theory of any science is complex, but when it comes to applied problems, the fog quickly dissipates. What is a moral dilemma? Imagine a situation that is well known to everyone. The guy fell in love with his best friend's girlfriend. But before deciding how to proceed, he needs to answer a number of questions such as:
- Is the girl happy with a friend?
- Does she love him?
- Does he love her?
- Do they have a future?
- What is more important - the possibility of love or strong friendship?
Of course, few people are able to answer questions from the list calmly and objectively, smoking a pipe. As a rule, everything happens spontaneously, and no one thinks about morality. But, in essence, these are all ethical issues. And note that they suggest only two possible answers: either positive or negative, no half measures. Of course, if you wish, you can say about this dilemma that it is false, but such a turn of events is impossible and will not suit the first and foremost the choosing subject (that same guy in love), because for him the girl is the only one. It is impossible, for example, to say that there are a lot of girls, like professions and jobs in the world, they say, choose to taste.
Finally, I would like the reader to wish that he does not fall into a situation of moral choice, but since such a development of events is unrealistic, we only hope that he will not fail and will draw the right conclusions, which means that he will not make a mistake, which he will later regret .