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>an asteroid could destroy us all, Well... by that measure, any statement regarding the future is a prediction. "I'll see you tomorrow!" - but maybe an astero

• gwern 16y ago
  It certainly is a prediction, if it's not just a meaningless social gesture or wish, contradiction, or tautology. (Is this not obvious? Then replace your friend with someone who is about to go over the trenches, or has a terminal disease, or say 'I'll see you in 50 years.'. It's just usually so very highly probable that the small smidgen of uncertainty is hidden from us. From the point of view of life insurance companies, making accurate predictions about how long your friend will survive is very serious business.)