About Savants

I picked up a book from the library last night called Brain Building. It was written by Marilyn vos Savant. Believe it or not, Savant is her real name. At least it was her mother's name. Vos Savant doesn't believe in women taking their family (i.e., father's) name, so she calls herself after her mother's maiden name. This name is intended to be descriptive because vos Savant claims to be the "smartest person in the world." At least that's what the flyleaf on the book stated in big bold letters. Apparently, vos Savant has the highest IQ ever recorded on standardized IQ tests and is a real savant. I assumed, therefore, as I was inetnded to, that she might have something to say about brain building. Well, it turns our that this college drop-out has very little to say beyond build your vocabulary and learn to think logically. But on the logic score, she could use some work.

At the begninning of the book is a short test she devised to determine if the reader has an inquiring mind and is open to "brain building." According to vos Savant, if you laugh louder at the movies than you do at home watching movies, it is because you are easily led and have a need to fit in to groups. She also suggests that if you vote the same way as an adult as you did when you were a teenager, you never grew up. My favorite is her conclusion that if you have the same religion as your parents it's because you blindly adopted their traditions. You are necessarily dogmatic and not open to new ideas.

Wow! Is this the best the "smartest person in the world" has to offer? How is it she can't see her own biases and the glaring errors in her logic?

The unfortunate thing is that some people who want to be "smart," just like her, will adopt these same biases and reject their current views (even if correct) just to show they can think for themselves. It's amazing how many different ways we can be led from the truth.