i (UnReal)

i, The Square Root Of -1, Is 42

Author: Daniel Carosone
Date: 1987/01/02
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The Question to the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything...

1. The Answer to the Question is 42.

   [ Ed. note -- unfortunately for the premise of this entire article,
     the factuality of the above statement is currently under debate;
     once enough persuasion from one side or the other finally resolves
     the issue, this article, and perhaps many of the others, shall
     definitely be updated (maybe). ]
   

2. Marvin, amongst numerous other complaints, claimed to have a brain the size of a planet.
3. Marvin, like other robots, has a computer-based brain.
4. The Earth is a planet.
5. The Earth was built by the mice as a computer, the only such planet or computer ever built.
6. By (2), (3), (4), and (5), the Earth must therefore be Marvin's brain.
7. The sole purpose of the Earth's program was to discover the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
8. Marvin once announced that he had, in a moment of boredom, found the square root of -1, something never before done in the history of the universe, and previously believed by all sensible hyper-intelligent beings to be possibly the most difficult task to undertake, as it was dependent on the very structure of the Universe. (Most normally- intelligent beings gave up, dismissing it as impossible.)
9. Marvin announced that he felt a brief, but deep, sense of satisfaction after having accomplished the achievement in (8).
10. The Earth was apparently destroyed just as the purpose of its program was fulfilled, and a Question had been found.
11. By (7), the Earth computer would have felt a deep sense of satisfaction at having achieved the task it was designed to fulfil.
12. By (10), the sensation in (11) would have been brief.
13. By (6), and by the fact that emotional feelings are based in the brain, the feelings in (9), (11) and (12) are the same single feeling.
14. Finding the Ultimate Question was deemed to be the single most difficult task undertaken by hyper-intelligent beings in the history of the universe, as it was dependant on the very structure of the Universe -- as well as Life and Everything.
15. By (6), (8), (13), and (14), Marvin (the Earth) had clearly solved the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
16. By (8) and (15), the Question is "What is the square root of -1?".
17. By (1) and (16), the square root of -1 is 42.