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From: kort@hounx.UUCP (B.KORT)
Newsgroups: net.ai,net.philosophy
Subject: Re: A halting problem
Message-ID: <519@hounx.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17-Jan-86 23:04:13 EST
Article-I.D.: hounx.519
Posted: Fri Jan 17 23:04:13 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jan-86 03:45:41 EST
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Xref: watmath net.ai:3185 net.philosophy:3815

Tom (ttp @ kestral) wonders if we can exhibit an unsolvable problem
for the Turing Machine known as the Human Race.  Such a problem
was given in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  The problem
was, "What is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe,
and Everything?"  A powerful computer named Deep Thought (not the one
in Canada--that's deepthot) was constructed to answer this question.
After many years, Deep Thought reported that the answer was 42.  Realizing
that Deep Thought had given the answer to the Ultimate Question without
revealing precisely what that Question was, its creators asked it if it
could state the Question as well.  After a bit of additional cogitation,
Deep Thought responded, "No."  So the Earth was created and populated
with the Human Race in order to discover the Ultimate Question of Life,
the Universe, and Everything.  Well, Tom, here we are.  We know the
answer is 42.  But how will we ever know for sure when we've identified
the Ultimate Question?  (By the way, that last sentence could be taken
as the *Penultimate* Question!)  --Barry Kort