Third option

The phrase "tertium quid" (or "third option" in Latin) refers to something that exposes a dichotomy as false. A tertium quid is not somewhere between the two options (grey is not a tertium quid to the dichotomy of black vs. white), but rather something entirely new, something that escapes the one-dimensional line between two options.

—Tailsteak

A third option is a way to break a false dilemma, showing that neither of the suggested solutions is a good idea.

Blog posts

• The Third Alternative
• Third Alternatives for Afterlife-ism

External links

• Take A Third Option at TVTropes

See also

• False dilemma
• Color politics
• Black swan
• Defensibility
• Arguments as soldiers
• Motivated cognition
• Challenging the Difficult