Trichotomy
Trichotomy ( Greek trichotomía "three division", to tricha "triple" and tomē "cut") generally denotes a three division. This term stands in a row with dichotomy (literally "division") and polytomy (literally "multiple division").
Another, identical word has the meaning "splitting hairs", "subtlety". This outdated word trichotomy contains the Greek thrix ( genitive trichós ) "hair" and literally means "hair division".
mathematics
In mathematics , the division of real numbers into positive and negative numbers and zero is a trichotomy in the strict sense.
A generalization of this is the trichotomy of order : for real numbers a and b , exactly one of the relationships applies:
- a < b
- a = b
- a > b
This property holds in every totally ordered set .
Criminal law
In jurisprudence , the three-part division of criminal offenses into crimes , offenses and transgressions ( crime - délit - contravention ), which is typical of continental European criminal law , is referred to as a trichotomy. In Germany, the criminal law reform of 1974/75 replaced them with a dichotomy (division into offense and crime) and the term has thus become obsolete there.
Christian anthropology
In Christian anthropology , trichotomy describes a conception according to which the human being is constituted by three members, which are usually referred to as spirit , soul and body . In the Roman Catholic Church , the doctrine of the trichotomy has been considered heresy since the Fourth Council of Constantinople , insofar as it makes the spirit an independent substance alongside the soul. Not all theologians who speak of spirit, soul and body understand by “spirit” and “soul” separate substances in the human being or mean by “spirit” an independent part of the soul.
The Christian trichotomy of the human being (spirit, soul, body) is not to be confused with Plato's trichotomy of the soul. Plato assumed three parts of the soul. He divided the soul into a reasonable and an unreasonable part, the latter again being divided into a "desiring" and a "courageous" one.
Taxonomy
In biological taxonomy , especially in cladistics , trichotomy designates three closely related clades , of which it is not clear which is the sister group of the other two.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Duden online: Trichotomy in the sense of "three division"
- ↑ Duden online: Trichotomy in the sense of "nibbling"
- ↑ See Duden online: Trichine , see section on origin