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The number 42 is meaningful to a lot of people, especially to fans of the science fiction classic book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. 42 is the infamous answer to the "Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" in the book, but it also has great significance in real life religion, physics, and sports. In this guide to the meaning of 42, we'll share theories about why Adams chose 42 as the meaning of life , as well as how important this number is in many other aspects of spirituality, science, and pop culture.
What is the meaning of 42?
42 is the answer to "the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" given in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , a science fiction book by Douglas Adams. It's also an important number in Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism ; rainbow physics ; and major league baseball .
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Section 2 of 10:
Why is 42 the meaning of life?
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Douglas Adams didn't reveal why 42 is the answer to life in his books. Adams never revealed the significance of 42 to anyone before he died in 2001 except one person: actor Stephen Fry, who says he'll take the secret to his grave. [1] X Research source However, many fans speculate Adams chose the number (at least subconsciously) because of his experience as a computer programmer. In the ASCII computer programming language, the number 42 is code for an asterisk (*). An asterisk is sometimes called a wildcard in programming because it can stand for anything the programmer wants.
- According to this theory, the reason the number 42 is the meaning of life is it's whatever you want it to be .
- 42 could also refer to page 42 the 1971 edition of Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe
by Ken Welsh, which Adams took inspiration from. On that page, the book remarks how people traveling to the United Kingdom to search for their ancestral roots found "the answer a little disappointing." [2]
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Research source
- Adams echoes the above statement in his book when the supercomputer Deep Thought tells the two men asking him for the answer to the meaning of life, "You're really not going to like it."
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Some fans theorize it’s a base 13 joke—but Adams denied this. A base system is a system for counting and calculating numbers. In base 13, 6 x 9 = 42. [3] X Research source While the true significance of 42 as the meaning of life is unknown, Adams shut down many popular theories, including one suggesting he was using the 13 base system in mathematics in a joking way.
- In the sequel to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – called The Restaurant at the End of the Universe – the main character, Arthur Dent, tries to trick his subconscious into revealing the Ultimate Question that 42 supposedly answers. In doing so, he writes, "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?" But according to Adams, this was a coincidence!
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Section 3 of 10:
42 Meaning in Religion
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Buddhism In a Buddhist text called Abhidharmakośabhāṣya from the Sarvastivada school of thought, human beings are described as having 42 mental factors. Mental factors are how human beings perceive and interact with the world in their consciousness. Another school of thought called Chittamatra lists 51 mental factors, so the exact number varies depending on which Buddhist teachings you prefer. [4] X Research source
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Christianity The number 42 is a significant number in the Bible, especially in Revelations and Psalms. In Revelations, 42 months is mentioned in 4 separate verses. According to many Biblical scholars, this time period refers to half of the 7 years of tribulation in the End Times when the Anti-Christ will rise and persecute the Jewish people. [5] X Research source Psalm 42 is also a famous Biblical passage, particularly for its first verse, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."
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Judaism In Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, one of God's names is 42 letters long. These letters are encoded in the first 42 words of Genesis which describe the creation of the universe, as well as in many Jewish prayers such as the Ana beKho'ah. [6] X Research source Many Kabbalists view these 42 letters as the spiritual sequence God used to create the universe. [7] X Research source
- 42 is also the number of locations the Israelites camped in the wilderness after their escape from Egypt in the Book of Exodus. In this context, 42 might symbolize the spiritual journey human beings take throughout their lives to draw closer to God.
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References
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/03/douglas-adams-42-hitchhiker
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/03/douglas-adams-42-hitchhiker
- ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/bases.html
- ↑ https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/science-of-mind/ways-of-knowing/commentary-on-compendium-of-ways-of-knowing-geshe-ngawang-dhargyey/mental-factors-and-other-buddhist-theories-of-cognition
- ↑ https://biblicalculture.com/to-what-period-does-the-time-times-and-half-a-time-42-months-1260-days-in-the-book-of-revelation-refer/
- ↑ https://livekabbalah.org/the-prayer-meditation-ana-bekhoah-the-name-of-42-letters/
- ↑ https://www.kabbalah.com/en/articles/the-journey-of-life-and-inner-peace/
- ↑ Kaitlyn Kaerhart. Numerologist, Spiritual Teacher & Astrologer. Expert Interview
- ↑ https://www.astrology.com/numerology/angel-numbers/42-meaning
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