The Answer

Characters

• Lu Renjia: A time traveler from the year 2050, deeply curious and bewildered by a certain question. (Note: His name is a homophone for "Passerby A" in Chinese.)
• Dr. Seth: The scientist who developed the supercomputer, Deep Thought.
• Primitive Humans, people from various regions, various philosophers, various scientists, staff members: Portrayed as their historical or real-life personas.

Act I

(What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?)

(Lu Renjia racks his brain but still cannot find a satisfactory answer. Thus, he prepares to embark on a time-travel journey to seek answers from the sages of all eras.)

(10,000 years ago.)

(A grassland. A cave. Primitive humans. Morning.)

Lu Renjia: (Chasing frantically, urgently) Hey!!! My friend ahead, wait a second!!!

Primitive Human 1: (Hearing something calling him) Em?

Lu Renjia: (Stops, panting heavily) Whew... whew... I have a question... to ask you... which is...

Primitive Human 1: (Slaps him across the face, finding it amusing) Ha! Hahahaha!!

(Primitive Human 1 runs off. Lu Renjia stands there completely bewildered.)

Lu Renjia: (Confused + angry) What? That makes no sense!!!

(Lu Renjia looks inside the nearby cave. Primitive Human 2 is still fast asleep. Primitive Human 3 tears off a piece of leftover roasted meat from last night and chews on it vigorously. Primitive Human 4 and 5 run out of the cave to see when the tree by the entrance will drop fruit again.)

Lu Renjia: (Smiling and shaking his head) Eating... sleeping... playing... Oh well, let's just leave them be!

Act II

(4,000 years ago.)

(Lu Renjia arrives by a riverbank. He notices a group of people lying on the ground, carving strange characters into clay tablets. He recognizes them as cuneiform.)

Lu Renjia: Hello, pardon the intrusion, but what is this?

Sumerian: (Getting up from the ground, pointing to the clay tablet) We are receiving the gods' decrees, recording everything they have done for us.

Lu Renjia: (Pretending to understand) Ah, I see, I see. Do you have a moment for a question?

(At this moment, several different groups of people walk over from all directions.)

Sumerian: Please, go ahead.

Lu Renjia: What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?

Jew, Greek, Chinese: What?

Sumerian: Uh... I suppose it is to serve the gods.

(The Jew, Greek, and Chinese nod in agreement.)

Jew: The great Messiah!

Greek: (Simultaneously) Hail Zeus!

Chinese: (Simultaneously) Thanks to Pangu and Nüwa!

(All three groups finish speaking at the exact same time. An awkward, sudden silence fills the air...)

(The four groups exchange hostile glares.)

Lu Renjia: (Sensing the tense atmosphere) You guys enjoy your chat... I'll take my leave...

Act III

(2,500 years ago.)

(Sages from all over the world gather in an anonymous forest at dusk, beginning their debate.)

Lu Renjia: Sages of the world, is everyone here? A question has been troubling me, and I have come today to seek your guidance. It is: What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?

(The atmosphere suddenly becomes incredibly solemn.)

Lu Renjia: (Looking around, clearing his throat) Er, I assume everyone has a lot to say. Let's take turns, starting from my left.

Laozi: The Dao. (Strokes his beard)

Lu Renjia: (Interrupting) Uh, excuse me, what is the Dao?

Laozi: To speak of it would ruin its meaning.

Lu Renjia: So we can temporarily understand it as Nature, right, old master?

Laozi: Suit yourself. (Closes his eyes and meditates)

Lu Renjia: (Looking puzzled) Uh... okay, next.

Shakyamuni: Since all things are impermanent and nothing lasts forever, extinguishing desires, achieving right attainment, and doing good deeds is the only way out... Actually, the same applies to this answer. Let go of the desire to seek it, and you will live with greater ease. Amitabha, bless you... (Puts his palms together)

Zhuangzi: (Stands up, interrupting) Exactly! What's the point of arguing about this? Let's just watch and see—go with the flow, right? It's much better to go out and play. I heard there's a lake nearby where we can fish. Who's coming with me?

(The crowd casts disdainful looks at him...)

Socrates: (Gesturing for everyone to be quiet) I think the previous speakers are being too negative, and their arguments contain logical fallacies. We cannot simply throw the question to the gods or ignore it entirely. We must focus on the question itself. You are all evading the question.

Euclid: Makes sense. We need to build a more rigorous, logical scientific system.

Zhuangzi: So, what brilliant insights do you two have then?

Socrates: I am merely reminding everyone not to go off-track.

Zhuangzi: Hahaha, you are indeed an amusing man. Let me tell you a story: once upon a time, there was a...

Socrates: (Frowning and interrupting) No need. Back to the question itself, do not avoid it...

(Zhuangzi looks like he really wants to keep talking.)

Lu Renjia: (Quickly interrupting) Alright, alright, let's get back to our question: What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?

Socrates: My disciple Plato opened an academy specifically to discuss these kinds of questions. You can go ask him. Though it seems he hasn't come up with anything particularly special either. I read his Dialogues, and it's quite a load of hot air.

Zhuangzi: Now that is a self-contradiction. You tell us to focus on the question itself, but when it's your turn, you just say "nothing particularly special." That's a textbook double standard.

Socrates: (Extremely annoyed) I'm angry, I tell you! You can't act like this! This is a blatant logical error...

Lu Renjia: (Shaking his head, sensing things are going south. Seeing the sun is about to set, he quickly interrupts) Alright, alright, it's getting late. Let's call it a day. Thank you, everyone, goodbye! (Runs away quickly)

Act IV

(400 years ago.)

Lu Renjia: (Secretly relieved) Managed to bypass the Middle Ages, what a stroke of luck...

(A group of mathematicians and scientists are talking around a round table. Lu Renjia quietly sits down.)

Lu Renjia: It is a great privilege to meet you all. I came here today with no other purpose than to ask a question: What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?

Spinoza: (Laughing) That goes without saying! Life, the universe, and all things—they are God, they are nature, and God is the answer! He is omnipresent and rules over everything!

Leibniz: (Shaking hands with Spinoza) Great minds think alike! Through my study of calculus, I have also become increasingly certain that when matter is infinitely divided to the point where it can no longer be divided, that is God.

Newton: (With a strange expression) Well... gentlemen, for once, I agree with your views. God is the first prime mover, and the three laws of motion are also His will. (Looking at Lu Renjia) Let's take an example. Think about it: if everything conforms to the laws of mechanical motion, then human thought is also predetermined, and thus everything is predetermined. Doesn't that make perfect sense?

Lu Renjia: (Looking troubled) Gentlemen, I don't entirely agree... Are all your opinions so unified?

Descartes: (Greatly shocked) What? How can you not understand such an obvious truth? Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am). My thinking proves my imperfection; therefore, that which is perfect must be God.

Lu Renjia: But hasn't Mr. Darwin of your era already revealed the mystery of biological evolution?

Newton: The fact that humans continuously evolve and perfect themselves is precisely the manifestation of the supreme intelligence given to us by God. I believe Mr. Darwin's theory of evolution not only does not contradict our doctrine, but instead supports and proves the existence of God. Hallelujah! (Raises both hands)

Spinoza, Leibniz, Descartes: (Simultaneously) Hallelujah!

Lu Renjia: Ha... llelujah. Alright, alright, thank you, gentlemen. I have some business to attend to. Enjoy your chat!

(Lu Renjia steps out the door.)

(He walks for a long, long time and sees a group of people sitting on a bench. Recognizing some familiar faces, he suddenly realizes another 100 years have passed. Naturally, Lu Renjia is not going to miss this opportunity.)

Lu Renjia: Hey, mind if I ask a question?

Philosophers: Go ahead.

Lu Renjia: (Humbly) I know you are all great masters of philosophy. So, what is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?

(The philosophers sink into deep thought.)

Hume: Your question is fundamentally invalid.

Kant: (Aloofly) I agree with Hume.

(Schopenhauer stays silent, letting out a sigh.)

Hegel: I don't think we are qualified to answer this question at all.

Lu Renjia: (Utterly confused) How so? Could you elaborate?

Hume: First, let me ask you a question: how do you know this world is real? (Lu Renjia falls into thought) Life, the universe, and everything—you cannot even be sure they exist because what you see is not necessarily reality; the essence of perception comes from experience. For example, can you be absolutely sure the sun will rise tomorrow? In other words, can you be sure that the round, big, bright thing rising tomorrow is indeed what we call "the sun"? Is it exactly the same as yesterday's sun? If you don't even know whether these things exist, how can there be an ultimate answer to them?

Kant: My view is slightly different from Mr. Hume's. I prefer to compare this world to a projection. I hear that in your era, movies have already appeared, so you should be able to accept this: the world we see is the screen, and its true source lies in the tiny projector behind it. Simply put, what we see are just appearances (phenomena). You can never truly know the projector itself—because you are not a cinema staff member.

Schopenhauer: Mr. Kant, the projector can be known. It is the human desire, which I call the "Will to Live." And humans are merely slaves driven by this Will to Live. Therefore, the only answer is asceticism. Ah, life!

Kant: (Nodding in acknowledgment) Well said, Mr. Schopenhauer, though we can each hold our own views.

(Lu Renjia's inner monologue: What on earth are they talking about? I'm getting more and more lost...)

Hegel: Actually, we aren't that important in history. Regardless of how humans react, history progresses in an orderly fashion; it will naturally get better and better—under the influence of the "Absolute Spirit." Therefore, we are actually insignificant, merely drifting along the long river of history. Thus, we naturally have no right to answer this question. If there must be an answer, it is "to become better under the guidance of the Absolute Spirit."

Lu Renjia: Maybe I didn't understand it fully, but why does this sound a bit heavily religious?

Hegel: Oh? Really? ...Not at all, is it??

Lu Renjia: (Sweating) Alright, never mind.

(Without anyone noticing, someone appears behind them.)

Kierkegaard: Mr. Hegel, I disagree with your view. Truth is subjective; how could it be something universally unified that we must drift along with? Every individual must choose the truth they believe in and live their own life well. As for how to make that choice, it relies on one's own faith. The path of life begins with the individual and ends with God—that is fixed. However, the road one takes to reach that goal depends on oneself!

(Lu Renjia seems to have a sudden realization...)

Lu Renjia: I see. Gentlemen, your words make incredible sense. I have learned a great deal. Thank you all, please continue your discussion. Good luck!

Act V

(100 years ago.)

(Lu Renjia hurriedly enters a café.)

Lu Renjia: Hello, sir! It is an absolute honor to meet you. May I ask you a question?

(Camus lifts his coffee, takes a sip, and gives an OK gesture.)

Lu Renjia: What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?

(Camus smiles.)

Camus: Have you heard the Myth of Sisyphus?

Lu Renjia: (Uncertainly) That man condemned to push a boulder?

Camus: Yes. Do you find his story very tragic, very bleak? (Smiling)

Lu Renjia: Yes. Being punished to push a boulder for eternity without any hope of release—isn't that a deeply painful, even absurd thing?

Camus: Then you are mistaken. The absurdity of the world is real, but it is by no means hopeless or depressing. To revolt in the face of the absurd, to adhere to truth and justice amidst despair—only then do we not live this life in vain. Your country's great writer, Lu Xun, once said, "True fighters dare to face the grimness of life, dare to look straight at the dripping of blood." In an absurd life, like Sisyphus, facing the grimness, transcending fate, being stronger than the boulder itself—isn't that beautiful?

(Lu Renjia listens, lowers his head to ponder, feeling a wave of sorrow.)

Camus: The boulder must roll back down once it reaches the top. Yet, I will still keep pushing my boulder. Since I must push it, why not do so courageously, with zest, and treat it as a supreme joy? Face the challenge, trust the process, and the pain ceases to exist. That is true freedom. To do what is seemingly impossible, that is where the joy of living lies.

Lu Renjia: (Realizing) You truly are a master. Your words have awakened me like a sudden revelation!

(Camus smiles, drains his coffee in one gulp, and gazes at the sky outside the window.)

(Lu Renjia feels that, of his entire journey, this was the most rewarding conversation.)

Act VI

(Year 2050.)

(Human technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. In 2050—Lu Renjia's own era—the famous scientist Dr. Seth has finally developed a supercomputer, Deep Thought, which is a million times smarter than the human brain.)

(At night, Lu Renjia decides to visit Dr. Seth and ask the computer for the answer to his question.)

Lu Renjia: (Pointing to the computer's dialog box) Doctor, do I just enter the question here?

(The doctor smiles and nods.)

(Lu Renjia types the question into the dialog box: What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?)

(Lu Renjia stares at the screen nervously. One second later, Deep Thought displays its answer: 42.)

Lu Renjia: (Thinking intensely) 42? What is 42? ... (Contemplating deeply)

Staff Member 1: 42... I only know its binary form is 101010, and its ASCII code corresponds to "*" ...

(Silence falls over the crowd.)

Staff Member 2: Isn't "*" a wildcard character? It can represent any string. That must mean "all things in the universe."

Staff Member 3: (Pensively) If we look at 101010 through the 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching, it corresponds to the final hexagram, "Wei Ji" (Before Completion). It means nothing ever truly ends, and the universe develops infinitely. This is the essence of the universe—all things are endless and infinite. (With a sudden realization) Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! (The crowd finds this highly convincing and applauds in admiration.)

Staff Member 4: Uh, I have a slightly eccentric theory, though I'm not sure if I should say it. 42 = 2 × 21. 21 is the sum of the 6 faces of a die. Since the computer operates in English, let's think in English: "2" sounds like "to", and "die" is what you do with dice... put them together and it's "To Die"...

(A terrifying silence.)

Staff Member 5: Actually, just as a side note, "the answer to life, the universe and everything" has exactly 42 characters... Maybe it's just that simple.

(Lu Renjia stares at the screen. Suddenly, a line of text pops up: "Well, I don't know the answer actually... 42 is a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, small number, and I chose that one. That's all. Haha.")

Lu Renjia: (Shrugging his shoulders) Well, 42 is just a random number... Maybe things really are that simple.

(Lu Renjia looks out at the night sky, lost in thought. Stars hundreds of thousands of light-years away flicker, sending friendly greetings. They have probably existed for billions of years. Compared to the universe's 15-billion-year history, our human history of a mere tens of thousands of years is utterly negligible, let alone an individual's lifespan of 70 years, which is but a drop in the ocean.)

(Lu Renjia has never felt so small. He suddenly feels that simply being alive is a piece of sheer luck.)

Lu Renjia:

I suddenly realize there is absolutely no need to obsess over the answer to this question.

What is life? The time during which life exists is not even a fraction of a second in the grand history of the universe. And what is "everything"? What we perceive as "everything" is vastly different from true "everything." All we know is what we have seen and heard in our few decades of life, combined with the tiny fraction of the universe humanity has managed to explore over tens of thousands of years. Even worse, this tiny bit of knowledge we possess will vanish into nothingness along with our deaths, leaving not a single trace behind.

Truly, we are nothing. We are too insignificant. The universe began with the Big Bang and will end in heat death. All the civilizations, technologies, lives, and morals we can conceive of are utterly trivial on cosmic scales—not even a speck of dust in space, and a mere passing blink in time, leaving nothing behind.

So, I don't plan on thinking about this question anymore. If there must be an answer, perhaps it is just like the primitive humans: eating, sleeping, playing. Life needs to be simpler; we need to let go.

Don't overthink, don't bound yourself with too much, and live in the moment. The very fact that we are here is already a miracle.

(The crowd looks at him with admiration.)

(Lu Renjia continues to gaze at the night sky, feeling the profound luck and wonder of existence.)

Epilogue

This question and the answer "42" both come from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This is a tribute to that plot in the book. To some extent, I think this briefly sketches out my own view of the history of philosophy and the development of human cognition (though due to space constraints and hitting writer's block, it's certainly not complete). Writing this in the form of a script was also a challenge and a breakthrough for me. There might be some minor issues with the formatting, but that doesn't matter anymore. I don't know how well I wrote it, but in any case, I had a blast writing it and I'm very satisfied.