Prophet

== Secular usage ==
The designation of "[[Victorian era|Victorian]] prophet" has been used in reference to cultural critics of the era, such as [[Thomas Carlyle]] and [[John Ruskin]].<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Reinhard |first=Randall Gene |date=2020-02-11 |title=Edward Irving, Thomas Carlyle, and the making of the 'Victorian Prophet' |url=https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/36814 |language=en |doi=10.7488/era/116}}</ref>

In the late 20th century the appellation of ''prophet'' has been used to refer to individuals particularly successful at analysis in the field of economics, such as in the derogatory ''prophet of greed''. Alternatively, social commentators who suggest escalating crisis are often called ''prophets of doom.''<ref>{{cite web | title = Ruff sees more rough times ahead – MarketWatch | access-date = 2009-04-09 | url = http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ruff-sees-more-rough-times/story.aspx?guid=%7B0354D5FB%2D2AE2%2D48CB%2DA7F0%2D4B06FBE5EE61%7D&dist=TNMostRead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Nouriel Roubini: I fear the worst is yet to come – Times Online | access-date = 2009-04-09 | url = http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article5014463.ece | quote = ...after making a series of uncannily accurate predictions about the global meltdown, Roubini has become the prophet of his age... | work=The Times | location=London | first=Dominic | last=Rushe | date=2008-10-26}}</ref>

Scientists analyzing data to forecast future events can also be considered prophets in a secular sense. In 2020, [[Ann Druyan]] stated that, "The only prophets that I’m really impressed by are the climate scientists of the past seventy years." She included her late husband, [[Carl Sagan]], among the modern-day prophets, with the disclaimer that "[a] lot of the things that he speculated about haven’t turned out to be true, but all those people are human. They were just using their knowledge and their intelligence to make good guesses."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Rob |title=Exploring Possible Worlds with Ann Druyan |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2020/06/exploring-possible-worlds-with-ann-druyan/ |website=Skeptical Inquirer |date=30 June 2020 |publisher=Center for Inquiry |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>