Moral dilemmas and the logic of obligation

1. The Question T J?/et a genuine moral dilemma be any situation answering to this description: (1) an agent, M, is categorically (absolutely, all things considered) obliged to do A, and can do A; (2) M is categorically (etc.) obliged to do B, and can do B; (3) M can? not do both A and B. Can there be genuine moral dilemmas? There are those who answer "obviously not," on the grounds that such a thing would be an affront to morality, reason and/or logic.2 And there are those who answer "ob? viously so," on the grounds that such things are not infrequently met with, in literature and in life.3 This paper sides with those who maintain that dilemmas are possible.