• Question: how do you get the answer 42 for the meaning of life, the universe and everything?

    Asked by anon-21954 to Alison, Artem, Caroline, John, Gunther on 13 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Artem Evdokimov

      Artem Evdokimov answered on 13 Jun 2012:

      It’s a quote from a very funny book (Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy). Of course this is nonsense – deliberate and funny malarkey. I think the author tried to make fun of the pompous quasi-philosophical stuff that seems to be so very full of deep and grandiose meaning, but really is just a nearly meaningless string of words. The statement that good question is 90% of the answer is not an idle one. It’s too bad that Douglas did not live long enough to write more…

    • Photo: Matt Gunther

      Matt Gunther answered on 13 Jun 2012:

      As Artem said it was a joke by Douglas Adams. Interestingly, however, a book, which came out last year called “42: Douglas Adams’ Amazingly Accurate Answer to Life”, finds 42 in the most obscure places…. Here’s a list of some of the more fascinating ones from an article in The Independent last year. Que “Twilight Zone” music……http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/42-the-answer-to-life-the-universe-and-everything-2205734.html

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