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Possibility

Edited by Vladimir_Nesov, et al. last updated 25th Sep 2020

Words in natural language carry connotations that may become misleading when the words get applied with technical precision. While it's not technically a lie to say that it's possible to win a lottery, the statement is deceptive. It's much more precise, for communication of the actual fact through connotation, to say that it's impossible to win the lottery. This is an example of anti-prediction.

Blog posts

  • But There's Still A Chance, Right?
  • Useless Medical Disclaimers
  • Lotteries: A Waste of Hope
  • Risk-Free Bonds Aren't

See also

  • Impossibility
  • Privileging the hypothesis
  • Antiprediction
  • Absolute certainty, Fallacy of gray
  • Not technically a lie
  • Lottery, Hope, Oops
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