the meaning of 42

[NeutralDrow]

what you say is true but i was referring to the meaning in the book more than in reality

...the meaning in the book was "What you get when you multiply six by nine."

 

[axia777]

So to the OP, what the hell are you talking about? There is no meaning. There never was a meaning. Doug just wrote down 42 as a joke. That is all.

I was under the assumption that the OP was tricking people into giving meanings and laughing all the while. I hope I was right about that.

Me too. If so it was a poor joke.

 

[Loop Stricken]

what you say is true but i was referring to the meaning in the book more than in reality

Yawn.

My own personal 42 is lost to me forever.

 

[thewerebuffalo]

I thought he was characterizing the randomness and futility of the universe by picking a random number. that fact that it was random was important because it showed what the universe was really like. like that guy who ran everything yet at the same time had no clue

 

[niglett]

So to the OP, what the hell are you talking about? There is no meaning. There never was a meaning. Doug just wrote down 42 as a joke. That is all.

I was under the assumption that the OP was tricking people into giving meanings and laughing all the while. I hope I was right about that.

Me too. If so it was a poor joke.

sorry didn't mean to lead you on to a joke...


a man walks to the doctor wearing cellophane underwear. the doctor reply's "i can clearly see your nuts!"

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

It pops up if you google something like "The meaning of life, the universe, and everything"

 

[niglett]

also its a book interpret it as you please. its often done with other books like the bible.

 

[Agayek]

6*7.

At least that's what I always thought.

6*9, according to letters taken randomly from a Scrabble bag by Arthur Dent.

If memory serves, in Restaurant at the End of the Universe, or the one after whose name I'm spacing on, he tries to pull the question from his subconscious (since he was part of Earth's computational matrix up until it was demolished 5 minutes before the answer was complete) by randomly pulling letters out of a Scrabble bag, and it spells out "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?"

 

[T5seconds]

42 is the meaning of life.

in Japan you pronounce 42 the same way as death.

so if the idea that the meaning of life = 42 came from Japan, then the meaning of life is DEATH.

Were all born to die sir...

Also...

Erm uhh whats the question agin? 42 uhh?

Hamster jelly...

 

[niglett]

6*7.

At least that's what I always thought.

6*9, according to letters taken randomly from a Scrabble bag by Arthur Dent.

If memory serves, in Restaurant at the End of the Universe, or the one after whose name I'm spacing on, he tries to pull the question from his subconscious (since he was part of Earth's computational matrix up until it was demolished 5 minutes before the answer was complete) by randomly pulling letters out of a Scrabble bag, and it spells out "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?"

i haven't played scrabble in years. after work I'm going buy it and force my family in to a hell of spelling Nazis!!

 

[niglett]

42 is the meaning of life.

in Japan you pronounce 42 the same way as death.

so if the idea that the meaning of life = 42 came from Japan, then the meaning of life is DEATH.

Were all born to die sir...

like an Oreo but what of the cream filling?

 

[niglett]

well i better get back to work theirs a man coming in any minute who mite be experiencing cardiac arrest. peace!

 

[T5seconds]

42 is the meaning of life.

in Japan you pronounce 42 the same way as death.

so if the idea that the meaning of life = 42 came from Japan, then the meaning of life is DEATH.

Were all born to die sir...

like an Oreo but what of the cream filling?

Best...Anolgy...Ever...

 

[Baby Eater]

dude,OP,I'm not even joking when I say this. you blew my mind!

I've been wondering about 42 for most of my life. the bae 13 thing the monty python thing I've looked throug these as possible theories and then this answer. so 42 is just a hint to the answer and earth had the question? fucking awesome but wouldn't that mean deep thought was wrong and for that matter earth would of had the wrong answer in 5 minutes?

now I can sleep at night!

 

[Korolev]

He said in an interview that there was no real meaning. It was just a joke. He had to think of a "funny answer", and he did. His books were never about the "ultimate answer", they were about how wacky the universe could be.

The answer of 42 was meaningless. It was just a joke. As much respect as I have for Douglas Adams, being a great writer, I seriously doubt he had any idea about the "meaning" of the universe.

 

[grimsprice]

also its a book interpret it as you please. its often done with other books like the bible.

Funny you should mention that. As people use the Bible for mental comfort, and a means to understand the world around them. The bible tells them how to think and live. I have a copy of The Ultimate Hitchhikers guide by my bed. I use it for the same purpose. Douglas's book is my bible.

 

[T-Bone24]

Wha?

Why is significance being placed on this number?

Its from Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy. written by Douglas Adams

Supposedly the answer to everything, according to Deep Thought, a supper computer that knows everything.

Edit: I'm going from the Movie as I have not read the books

Oh. I never read that.

How exactly though is it the answer to everything?

They asked the computer something along the lines of "What is the answer to the great question?"

The computer didn't understand, so simply stated 42.

 

[TZer0]

In python.

six = "1+5"
nine = "8+1"
sixtimesnine = six+"*"+nine
print eval(sixtimesnine)

Which will give you 42.