Possible Question to the Ultimate Answer []
I have recently been reading a compilation of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" book series, and I believe I have found multiple hints to the Question. I believe it is "Think of a number, any number." The answer fits, but that isn't really very strong evidence. This, however, is: First, in Chapter 7 of "Life, the Universe, and Everything," Marvin is talking to a mattress. Let me remind you that Marvin has said multiple times that he has "a brain the size of a planet," and that the Earth was a computer designed to find the Question, and is also the size of a planet. Marvin asks the mattress "Think of a number, any number." (This is an exact quote.) The mattress replied "Er, five." Marvin responds with "Wrong. You see?" If I am correct about the Question, five would have been incorrect, and the correct answer would have been 42. Second, in Chapter 34 of the same book, they talk about Prak, the man who was asked "to tell the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth," after having been given too much of a truth drug. Arthur says he'd like to hear what Prak has to say, and that presumably he would know what the Question was. The ship's computer immediately says, to Arthur, "Think of a number, any number." (Another exact quote.) I apologise for any formatting errors, and if you think my theory is correct, don't forget to tell the mice! -98.246.173.209 16:06, March 28, 2011 (UTC)
While I'm impressed with your memory of those conversations, and the coincidence is intriguing, I must remind you that The Great Question was supposed to be the "Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" and The Answer, presumably, would be an Ultimate Answer.
The criteria, and presumably Deep Thought was programmed with this crucial information, was to settle the constant bickering about the meaning of life which would interrupt their favorite pastime of Brockian Ultra Cricket. The Guide also mentions that the hyper-dimensional beings meant it to answer ALL the mundane questions like what is life, why are we here, and why do so many races like wearing digital watches; and, does it really matter, cosmically speaking, if I go to work in the morning.
I'm also reminded that Marvin was never particularly forthcoming with information for which he was not entirely convinced was sincerely being requested ("I knew you weren't really interested.").
Now, It could be that both Marvin and Eddie understood humour, and were inspired in the same way that Douglas Adams was when he searched for a smallish, but funny, number. However, I've only ever been able to come up with one 'ultimate question' that fits all the criteria. Unfortunately, Think of a number, any number, is not even a question. It's an offer or a suggestion, but not a question.
And the Results Are In![]
What is The Answer for The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything? 42. That’s it. That’s The Answer . But you never really understood what The Ultimate Question was, did you? So The Answer doesn’t make sense without it. If you knew what the The Ultimate Question was, you might understand why The Answer is 42, and if that makes sense to you, you are one enlightened dude, dude. Do you wanna know The Ultimate Question? Are you ready? Ok, DON’T PANIC: What do you get if you multiply six by nine?Forty-Two. It works in base-13. Who would write a mathematical joke in base 13? A mathematical God. Need more of an explanation? It's a joke. It's The Joke. The single greatest joke that there ever could be, sort of like a Zen Koan. That's the answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. It came to me in a vision, divine revelation maybe, or it might’ve been vegetable induced hallucination, either way, it makes completely perfect sense to me, if it does to you, great! If not, then I hope I’ve helped you on your path to enlightenment, Dude. If you want to know the purpose of The Universe, why are we all here, what should we all be doing, how shall we lead our lives, this is the message that the Universe gave me: In one marathon briefing, everything was laid before me; the entire history of the Cosmos, from the Big Bang, to the Gnab Gib. And then there were the multifarious threads from every single disconnected plotline that comes together in the final act, and it all converges into one hilarious singularity of Cosmic Consciousness. In the Beginning, there was One, One Unitive Consciousness, that was, and is, its own reason for being, Cogito Ergo Sum, I think, therefore I am. I Am Who Am. And then for some reason, most likely a bit of fun, it got bored one day, this unity divided, and fractured, and compartmentalized itself, a being of pure thought energy and consciousness blew itself apart at the Big Bang, so it could be the storyteller and the audience, without giving any of the twists away to itself. All of us are these shards of consciousness, pieces of a bigger whole that will come back together in the end, every detail matters to the whole, every throwaway line is vital, all of the tragedies and tribulations get redeemed in the end when this massive, ornate, impossibly intricate universe ties everything together for the big reveal.
So relax, and enjoy the ride! 174.28.155.69 17:48, April 19, 2015 (UTC)@ZombieCheney
Zackjk (talk) 18:26, April 20, 2015 (UTC)@ZombieCheney