The lack of comments on this article suggests that Strauss was right. Avoid the topic.
My own purely intuitive POV on the trilemma is that it is useful to understand. It may reveal wrong thinking but won't reveal truth.
As to the "refutation of historical premises" you are seeking, I always saw nihilism as a philosophical endpoint to reveal a failure in the thought process. What the axis of evil mentioned in the Hick's quote accomplished was to make it acceptable. Otherwise their ideas aren't really new or fresh or insightful. They merely accepted failure as a logical endpoint.
Ultimately the trilemma leads me into religious thinking (from a not very religious person) that there is an unknowable truth. Not satisfying to a philosopher I know but that's two cents from someone who doesn't even qualify as amatuer.
Also, I am thankful to Vox Day for many things but introducing me to your Blog has shot to the top of the list. You are a deep and rigorous thinker with a clear and understandable writing style.
The lack of comments on this article suggests that Strauss was right. Avoid the topic.
My own purely intuitive POV on the trilemma is that it is useful to understand. It may reveal wrong thinking but won't reveal truth.
As to the "refutation of historical premises" you are seeking, I always saw nihilism as a philosophical endpoint to reveal a failure in the thought process. What the axis of evil mentioned in the Hick's quote accomplished was to make it acceptable. Otherwise their ideas aren't really new or fresh or insightful. They merely accepted failure as a logical endpoint.
Ultimately the trilemma leads me into religious thinking (from a not very religious person) that there is an unknowable truth. Not satisfying to a philosopher I know but that's two cents from someone who doesn't even qualify as amatuer.
Also, I am thankful to Vox Day for many things but introducing me to your Blog has shot to the top of the list. You are a deep and rigorous thinker with a clear and understandable writing style.
I will be visiting often. Thank you.
Your mentioning nihilism immediatly brought to mind David Chapman's (unfinished) webbook Meaningness - https://meaningness.com/