This is a proposal of a proof for condition 42. As a matrix solution to the meaning of life.
The meaning of life is an issue which has been discussed a lot, and many people seem to associate this with 42. Is this 42 a randomly chosen number? Here we propose that 42 actually is the Meaning of Life (or “The Meaning of Liff” as it was later jokularly denoted by the inventor …) but how can this be the answer to the ultimate question?
Let’s go back to inventions and design of systems. The engineer, inventor and author Gerald Altshuller [1926-1998] discovered that there are actually only 40 conditions that need to be fulfilled to construct any system. Gerald Altshuller made this discovery when he was working as a clerk in a patent office. From 1946 to 1970 he had reviewed 40000 patents, and discovered that there only existed 40 different solutions to problems.
A theory was developed in Russian named Теория развития творческой личности (ТРТЛ) which in English is named Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). This theory was further developed and millions of patents have so far been investigated.
When you want to invent something, you just specify the problem, and by solving a matrix equation with 40 conditions, you can design any type of machine or device.
This of course implies that patents as such may be somewhat overrated, but how does this relate to the meaning of life?
When you are working with artificial intelligence, and when you start making these beings reasonable smart, then you put new constraints onto the system.
A smart AI which doesn’t accept the system, will not work very well, it may consider everything meaningless and even become depressed if it would be capable of such emotions. So, condition 41 is:
41. how to make the intelligence accept the system?
Now, assuming that the system is convincing enough to make the intelligent being solve all types of problems in the system, which of course implies inventing necessary technology to just do the fun stuff, that is not having to work for survival and such, which of course should not be the meaning of life (even though there are some that believe so…) when the society has become advanced and civilized enough. Then a new problem occurs, because when the society can provide all the stuff that is necessary for survival, then the society may die due to boredom, suicide or similar. So the next necessary condition is:
42. how to make the system reach stable indefinite (i.e. not too boring in the long run) solutions?
This is The Meaning of Life, and there is a simple solution to this, something wonderfully simple (OK needs some (already invented technology) though), implying an endless joy of life, and indefinite creation by you, that will inspire everyone and not bore anyone. The actual solution to this will be presented in the near future.