ABSTRACT

Following the destruction of the Earth in order to make way for a hyperspace bypass, Arthur Dent in Douglas Adams' Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy sets off on a surreal quest to find the answer to life, the universe and everything. At the end of the quest, the incredibly powerful computer, Deep Thought, provides the answer — 42. Deep Thought points out that the real problem was to find out the question. The Earth — now destroyed — had been created for this purpose. It turns out that the real challenge, in determining answers to big issues, is to clarify the question to which an answer is sought.