42

According to Douglas Adams, “The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything” is 42. Of course, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide, the question itself remained a mystery. Because this is my 42^nd post in this series, I thought I’d take a shot at the ultimate question.

On second thought, maybe it would be easier to think about our obsession with numbers. Everything is quantified these days – product ratings, poll results, and statistics nipping at the fringes of our sanity. Many people can’t believe a thing without a number attached. “Show me the data” is a common refrain. As if putting a number on something automatically makes it real, or even important. In 1892, Arthur James Balfour suggested, “there are three kinds of falsehoods – lies, damned lies and statistics.” It seems we want the reassurance of numbers, even if those numbers don’t in fact support our decisions. Each of us, like wannabe mob bosses, can always find numbers somewhere to do our bidding.

Part of the humor in the number 42 turning out to be the precise answer to the ultimate existential question is that, well, nobody knows. Adams could have written that the answer is “love,” but there’s no humor in that. Besides, a great teacher proposed that answer 2000 years ago and some of his detractors made a counter offer of 30 pieces of silver. A number like 30 was more believable then, and often numbers like that are more believable now, even if they don’t tell the whole truth, or they’re just plain wrong. And a large enough number tied to an amount of currency is an almost irresistible way to get your way. 2+2 can equal anything you want, if you have enough money.

Yet, numbers have a way of disregarding our moral beliefs. Pi will be what it is whether we are righteous or not. The speed of light and the gravitational constant will not bend to our political views. In antiquity, some believed numbers had a morality of their own, incorruptible by human desires. There is truth to that. For all we know, a number like 42 could be the answer we seek. And if so, that answer cannot be changed by historical reinterpretation, military conquest, or just wishing it away. We may be able to buy a vowel on TV, but the square root of two isn’t for sale.

Which brings all this palaver back to my 42^nd installment.

I’ve been thinking about questions and answers. Some of us are comfortable with questions while others require answers. Some are willing to wrestle with complex or difficult questions while others claim to have all the answers they need. I’ve heard the types described as “question people” and “answer people.” Question people tend to be more laissez faire in their outlook, while answer people tend to be more authoritarian. I suppose the latter would be reassured if 42 was somehow the correct answer, even if we don’t really understand the question. The former might prefer to explore the question rather than accept a simple answer, even if it happens to be right.

It seems to me I am a question person, more interested in understanding why than just doing as I’m told. Question Authority was a popular slogan when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. In my mind, any “authority” that refuses to be questioned has demonstrated it is no authority, merely a tool of whatever hierarchy it inhabits.

We must question a world where men with gold make the rules. And we must strive to formulate better questions. If we don’t yet understand “the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything,” maybe it’s because we are too easily satisfied by what we can quantify and too unwilling to do the hard work of asking the right questions…and acting on what we learn.