17/02/2025
This woman holds the highest recorded IQ ever: an astonishing 228. Far surpassing Einstein (160-190), Hawking (160), and Musk (155). Yet, despite her brilliance, she faced ridicule for her response to a seemingly simple problem.
But she saw what no one else could.
Hereβs her story:
Marilyn Vos Savant was far from an ordinary child.
By the age of 10, she had:
β’ Memorized entire books
β’ Read all 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica
β’ Achieved the highest recorded IQ of 228
She seemed destined for a life of genius.
But reality took a different turn.
βNo one paid much attention to meβmostly because I was a girl. And I accepted that,β Marilyn Vos Savant once said.
She attended a regular public school, left Washington University after two years to help run her parents' business, and seemed destined for an ordinary life.
But in 1985, everything changed.
The Guinness Book of World Records listed her as having the "Highest IQ" ever recorded: 228.
Suddenly, Marilyn was thrust into the spotlight:
β’ Featured on the covers of New York Magazine and Parade Magazine
β’ Guest on Late Night with David Letterman
But she couldnβt have anticipated what lay ahead.
The Rise and the Question
Marilyn joined Parade Magazine to write the iconic "Ask Marilyn" columnβa dream for someone with a passion for writing.
Yet, this dream turned into a nightmare with a single question in September 1990.
The Monty Hall Problem
Named after Monty Hall, the host of Letβs Make a Deal, the question went like this:
Youβre on a game show.
There are 3 doors.
β’ 1 door hides a car.
β’ The other 2 hide goats.
You choose a door. The host opens another door, revealing a goat.
Should you switch doors?
Marilynβs answer: βYes, you should switch.β
The backlash was overwhelming. She received over 10,000 letters, including nearly 1,000 from PhDs, insisting she was wrong:
β’ βYou are the goat!β
β’ βYou blew it, and you blew it big!β
β’ βMaybe women look at math problems differently than men.β
But was she wrong?
The Math Behind the Answer
Consider the two possible scenarios:
You pick the car (1/3 chance):
β’ If you switch, you lose.
You pick a goat (2/3 chance):
β’ Monty reveals the other goat.
β’ If you switch, you win.
Switching gives you a 2/3 chance of winning.
Eventually, her answer was proven correct.
Vindication
MIT ran computer simulations confirming her logic.
MythBusters tested it and reached the same conclusion.
Some academics even apologized.
So why did so many fail to see the truth?
The Reasons People Got It Wrong
β’ They "reset" the scenario instead of recognizing the shifting probabilities.
β’ The simplicity of 3 doors obscured the underlying math.
β’ Many assumed each remaining door had a 50% chance.
Marilynβs View
Marilyn blamed the compulsory schooling system for discouraging independent thinking. She argued that it:
β’ Creates passive learners
β’ Stifles exploration
β’ Hinders critical thinking
A Blessing and a Burden
Marilyn admits that her intellect often feels isolatingβthereβs no one to turn to when she needs answers.
Still, she sees her intelligence as a gift, not a curse.
