In 1990, Marilyn vos Savant, known for having one of the highest recorded IQs, answered a seemingly simple probability question in her Parade magazine column. The question, based on the Monty Hall problem from Let's Make a Deal, asked whether a contestant should switch doors after one was revealed to have a goat behind it. Marilyn's answer was yes. Switching doors increases your chances of winning from one-third to two-thirds.

And then the floodgates opened. She received over 10,000 letters, many from mathematicians and scientists, telling her she was wrong. Some of them were downright rude, mocking her response and dismissing it as "female logic." One particularly salty critic even wrote, "You are the goat."

But Marilyn did not back down. She stood by her answer, patiently explaining the math to an audience that really should have known better. Eventually, top universities ran simulations proving she was right. MIT confirmed it. MythBusters confirmed it. Even some of the same academics who originally mocked her ended up apologizing.

It is a perfect example of how even the smartest people can get caught up in their own biases. Sometimes, being right means standing firm even when everyone else insists you are wrong. It reminds me of the scientists in Star Trek: The Next Generation who discovered that warp drive was damaging subspace. At first, Starfleet dismissed their concerns because warp travel was essential to exploration and commerce. Nobody wanted to believe that something so fundamental to their way of life could be harmful. But the science was sound, and despite skepticism, they eventually proved that repeated high-warp travel was tearing holes in space itself. Like Marilyn, they faced resistance, doubt, and ridicule, but in the end, the truth won out.

So next time the so-called experts try to tell you that your logic is flawed, make sure you double-check their math first. You might just be the one who is right.

Live long and prosper.
RR

P.S. Once in a while even I'm wrong at the subject I'm an expert in, so if you ever come across something in one of my videos that's wrong - or perhaps you know something that I don't - please speak up! I may be an expert, but I'm far from infallible.