That right there is exactly the sort of reasoning I object to.
A poorly defined prediction is made: "Teleportation will be possible".
Now, everyone who reads this probably imagines 'beam me up, scotty'.
Subsequently, teleportation is defined to include things like 'quantum teleportation', which, while it does have 'teleportation' in the name, does not instantly move mass, from one place to another, and, fundamentally, is not theorised to enable the Star Trek-esque people 'beaming' around the place.
I'm not saying which definition of the word 'teleportation' is best - just that the initial statement, if we allow it to be subsequently satisfied by either of those things, in a way it wasn't intended, is not very interesting.
A poorly defined prediction is made: "Teleportation will be possible". Now, everyone who reads this probably imagines 'beam me up, scotty'.
Subsequently, teleportation is defined to include things like 'quantum teleportation', which, while it does have 'teleportation' in the name, does not instantly move mass, from one place to another, and, fundamentally, is not theorised to enable the Star Trek-esque people 'beaming' around the place.
I'm not saying which definition of the word 'teleportation' is best - just that the initial statement, if we allow it to be subsequently satisfied by either of those things, in a way it wasn't intended, is not very interesting.