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endev42 | the meaning of life - Books & Literature
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Marvel Secret Wars II by Jim Shooter - Comic Book Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life.Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic series that was published in 1985-1986 and was written by Jim Shooter. The series was a squeal to Secret Wars, that was published in 1984-1985. The collection features the antagonist, the Beyonder, as he searches for meaning and purpose as an omnipotent being in a multiverse which he doesn't unde
Skeptic Magazine - What is the purpose of a Sponge? A Biologist Contemplates the Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything
Skeptic is an American magazine that prompts scientific skepticism and was first published in 1992. In this article we look at the Vol 17 No. 1 2011 edition, which contains an article written by David Zeigler, entitled What is the purpose of a Sponge? A Biologist Contemplates the Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Zeigler attacks the question of purpose in life by examining life at the extreme ends of the evolutionary process. It is theorized that most modern life evolved from sponge
The Sunday Times Magazine - The Meaning of Life: Michael Palin on finding his way after the death of his wife of 57 years
The Sunday Times is a British newspaper that was founded in 1821. The magazine which is produced by the Sunday Times started in 1962. In this article we explore the September 17, 2023 edition which features Michael Palin - subtitled, The Meaning of Life: Michael Palin on finding his way after the death of his wife of 57 years. In this edition, Michael Palin is interviewed after his wife of 50+ years passed away. For those of you not familiar with Palin, he is best known around the world for his
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut - Book and Movie Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book or movie; rather, it is to examine how the book or movie relates to the meaning of life. Mother Night is a fictional novel that was published in 1962 by Kurt Vonnegut. In 1996, a movie adaptation directed by Robert B. Weide was released, starring Nick Notle. The Book: The story revolves around the American character Howard W. Campbell Jr. who moved to Germany as child, fell in love with a beautiful ac
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut - Book Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. Cat's Cradle is a science fiction novel that was published in 1963 and was written by Kurt Vonnegut and like most Vonnegut books, this book has is satirical, dark, and reflects upon deep topics, e.g., religion, science, and meaning in life. The story revolves around a character named John, who calls himself Jonah (perhaps a throwba
Celebrities That Wrote to Us in 2023 About the Meaning of Life
Every year celebrities and philosophers from around the world write to endev42 telling us their thoughts on the meaning of life. Often, the answer are short and to the point—often they are positive, sometimes—depressingly negative. The best are deep in thought, pages long. All responses are posted regardless of the content. For a complete list of celebrities that have written to endev42 over the years, check out our celebrities page. Below are the celebrities that wrote to endev42 in 2023 about
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut - Book and Movie Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book or movie; rather, it is to examine how the book or movie relates to the meaning of life. Breakfast of Champions is a novel that was written by Kurt Vonnegut in 1973. The book revolves around the lives of three individuals, Dwayne Hoover - a Pontiac dealer, Kilgore Trout - an unknown by widely publicized author, and Kurt Vonnegut - a widely publicized and well-known author. According to Kurt, the book
Slaughterhouse-Five Book and Movie Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book and movie; rather, it is to examine how the book and movie relate to the meaning of life. Slaughterhouse-Five is a semi-autobiographic science fiction novel that was published by Kurt Vonnegut in 1969, and was later turned into a movie in 1972. Slaughterhouse-Five is one of Vonnegut's most popular books and it is easy to see why. It is a poignant and darkly comical reflection of humanity—especially be
Eternals - Movie Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. The Marvel Eternals movie was released in 2021 and was directed by Chloé Zhao. A number of high profile actors and actresses also started in the film, e.g., Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Ma Dong-seok, etc. The basic premise of the film is that ten super-heroes known as the
The Purpose of Man in the Universe by John Hulley
The Purpose of Man in the Universe was published in 1958 by John Hulley in Volume 1, Number 3, of the Space Journal. We couldn't find much information about John Hulley during our brief search online, besides what was listed in the Space Journal. John Hulley was a graduate from Harvard, a veteran of WWII, and he also conducted research into space philosophy. He did write three articles for Space Journal. The Space Journal was published by the Rocket City Astronomical Association and Space Enterp
Asteroid City - Movie Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. Asteroid City is a lackluster sludgefest of a movie directed by Wes Anderson. In theory, it is comedy-drama about a play within a film, people coming to terms with grief, coming of age, and trying to find meaning admist it all. In reality, I didn't laugh once and didn't f
Groundhog Day - Movie Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. Groundhog Day is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed by Harold Ramis. Starring in the movie were Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. What can the movie Groundhog Day teach us about the meaning of life? To be fair, the movie never mentions the phrase—rather it shows us throu
Record Mirror Magazine - Meaning of Life Series
Record Mirror was a British magazine that was circulated between 1954 and 1991. Last week we blogged about the November 3rd, 1990 edition, featuring Sean Dickson from the rock band The Soup Dragons. At the time of writing the blog article, we did not realize that Record Mirror actually ran an entire series where they asked celebrities about the meaning of life. The series ran from September 1990 until its final issue in April 1991 (if other issues featured the meaning of life, please let us know
Origin of the Term - Meaning of Life
In our quest to find the origin the term, 'meaning of life,' we've reference one academic authority and two AI chat bots. See the results below. Asking ChatGPT the question, "When was the term 'meaning of life' first used," the answer the AI gave was as follows: The term 'meaning of life' has been used for centuries, but its origins are difficult to trace. The concept of life having a meaning or purpose is a philosophical and religious idea that dates back to ancient civilizations. However, the
Spice Girls Every Month Magazine - January 1999 - Answer the Meaning of Life
Spice Girls Every Month was a magazine that focused on, as you can probably guess, the Spice Girls. In the January 1999 edition, the group was asked the question, Do you ever ask yourself what the meaning of life is, above money, fame or family? There answer: Emma: And Health. Mel C: Yes, it is happiness. There we have it. As we've seen in other interviews, often the answers are terse and not very in-depth. But we have an answer nevertheless. #happiness
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. The Left Hand of Darkness is a science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin that was published in 1969. The story is set within the Hainish Cycle. The Left Hand of Darkness' narrative revolves around an envoy named Genly Ai from the Ekumen (which is a confederation of planets of sorts), as well as the story for Estraven, the prime mi
Record Mirror - November 3 1990 - Meaning of life Magazine - Sean Dickson on the Meaning of Life
Record Mirror was a British magazine that was circulated between 1954 and 1991. In the November 3rd, 1990 edition, Sean Dickson (spelled Dixon in the article) from the rock band The Soup Dragons was interviewed. In the interview one of the questions asked of Sean was, "What's the meaning of life?" His response, The meaning is: there is no meaning. That's it. Nihilism in its most simplest form. Despite the table of contents talking about Sean baring his soul, the one page interview anything but r
Spin Magazine - April 1994 - The Dalai Lama On The Meaning of Life
Spin is a magazine publication that started in 1985 which heavily focuses its content on music and more particularly on rock, grunge, etc. In the April 1994 edition, the magazine interviewed the Dalai Lama and asked the question, "What is the meaning of life?" The Dalai Lama responded: If we ask, 'Why have we come, why this human being, why has this planet happened?'—this is too complicated. Forget about it. It's not much use to analyze these things. Of course, each different religious tradition
Front Magazine - January 2012 - Issue #175
Front is a now defunct magazine which started in 1998 and ended in 2017. The magazine featured content which revolved around music, films, and other adult themes. In issue 175 published in 2012, several celebrities respond to various philosophical questions. Below are their responses to the question, "What is the meaning of life?" Chris Motionless: Whatever you make it. I don't want to sound like I was put here for a specific reason, but I feel my purpose is to influence some positivity on a neg
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - Book Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury is a collection of short stories and narratives about the planet Mars, future exploration of the planet, its inhabitants, and ourselves as Earthlings between the fictional years of 1999 and 2026. The book was published over 70 years ago in 1950. On a side note, non-fictional, as of writing thi
Permutation City by Greg Egan - Book Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. Permutation City is described as a post-cyberpunk and/or hard science fiction novel that was released in 1994 and written by Greg Egan. The book explores topics such as the nature of life—the difference between artificial and biological life, and what will happen once we're able to make Copies of ourselves that could potentially li
ChatGPT, ChatSonic, and other Artificial Intelligences on the Meaning of Life
Back in 2017 we talked with several of the leading chatbots on the subject of what makes life meaningful. That summary can be found here. Now, six years later, artificial intelligence which powers many chatbots has advanced quite a bit. Let's start with the bots we talked with in 2017. A.L.I.C.E. - has now become Kuki. Back in 2017, A.L.I.C.E. stated that the meaning of life was 23, and 23 was a reference to the illuminati. Kuki in 2023 cites 42 as the meaning of life, as per Douglas Adams. Bots
The Last of Us - Long, Long Time
In the HBO TV series, The Last of Us, episode three, titled, "Long, Long Time," we meet a prepper named Bill (played by Nick Offerman) and a survivor named Frank (played by Murray Bartlett). The two are polar opposites. Bill, hardcore, unemotional, and trusts no one. Frank cries a lot, is sentimental, and openly homosexual. Both have somehow managed to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, despite fungi zombies, marauders, food shortages, the government, etc. To keep the summary short and simple,
Lost in Translation - Movie Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. Lost in Translation is a romantic comedy film that was released in 2003 (now 20 years ago, believe it or not), and was directed by Sofia Coppola. Starring in the movie we have Bill Murray as Bob Harris, a washed up actor now doing commercials in Japan, and Scarlett Johans
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut - Book Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. The Sirens of Titan was released in 1959 and was Kurt Vonnegut's second science fiction novel to hit the stands. Interestingly, the book explores topics such as free will, religion, nihilism, and even the meaning of life. We, in fact, see this right from opening sentence, Everyone now knows how to find the meaning of life within hi
The Eskimo Invasion/The Purpose of Life by Hayden Howard - Book Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. The Purpose of Life by Hayden Howard is a short science fiction story found in the April 1967 edition of Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. It is part of the series in which Howard published in a variety of magazines, all of which were later combined into the novel titled The Eskimo Invasion. Originally, we stumbled across this serie
Mid-Life Crisis Helpline! Game Review
If we live long enough, most of us will eventually face a mid-life crisis to some degree. Even if you don't, mid-life certainly brings a number of challenges—from joints that creak and crack, to money problems (student debt, credit cards, children, car payments, rising gas prices, and all the other things we as consumers need to survive like peep flavored soda and Beyond Meat Cat Food), and even to eating a Carolina reaper spiced quadruple decker burger and having to down a tub of tums around mi
Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life by Douglas T. Kenrick
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity are Revolutionizing our View of Human Nature by Douglas T. Kenrick (a social psychologist), is a book that examines what murder, sex, religion, cheating, and yes, even the meaning in life have in common. As Kenrick explains, m
The Incal: Psychoverse by Mark Russell
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. The Incal: Psychoverse by Mark Russell is the first time the Jodoverse, so to speak, has been opened outside of the mind of Alejandro Jodorowsky. It is essentially a prequel to The Incal. The series combines elements from across the Jodoverse, including characters like John Difool, Metabaron, Wolfhead, Solune, etc. Also introduced
The Flintstones Volume 1 and 2
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. The Flintstones comic - volume 1 and volume 2 is a brilliant and hilarious retake on the age-old cartoon from our youth (well, for some of us, our youth—those us of reaching midlife that is, or perhaps even those of us a little over the hill now). The series was written by Mark Russell, and it is all about the Flintstones confronti
The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve ... the Meaning of Life - Book Review
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life was written by A.J. Jacobs and published in 2022. It is a great book for anyone that is fascinated or even just curious about puzzles of all kinds—from jigsaws and crosswords, to sudokus and scavenger hunts. But t
Celebrities Answer the Question: What is the Meaning of Life?
To date, over 400 celebrities have written to endev42 to answer the question "What is the meaning of life?". This is a complete list of those celebrities. The index can also be found here. Some provided elaborate answers, but most gave zen-like answers—just a few words in length. People will find here what they want to find; and hopefully individuals will realize they aren’t alone in trying to find answers to life’s biggest question. The answers were kept verbatim and we did our best not to ch
The Sopranos - D-Girl
In season 2, episode 7 of the TV show The Sopranos, Anthony Junior (AJ), son of the infamous mobster Tony Soprano, has a bit of an existential crisis. In school he starts to learn about European philosophers—Nietzsche, Sartre, just to name a few. After AJ slightly damages the family vehicle after stealing it, his parents try to scold him and asked what if he had killed people? AJ responds, Life is absurd ... there is no God. He then proceeds to ask why we are even born. His parents' response? Be
Wit - Movie Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. Wit is a movie adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same title by Margaret Edson. The movie was released in 2021 and was directed by Mike Nichols. Though many people may disagree, the best way to sum up the movie is that it is an hour and forty minutes of
Soul - Movie Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. Soul is an animated film about the purpose of life (about living life), that was produced by Pixar and released by Disney in 2020. The story revolves around two characters. The first, Joe Gardner, a middle-aged middle school music teacher. The second, an unborn soul that
Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American theoretical physicist from Harvard University recently published a book titled, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth. In the book he goes on to hypothesize that Oumuamua (an unidentified interstellar object that passed through our solar system in 2017), was really a piece o
Philip Cochran and WWII
What does war have to do with the meaning of life, or rather, can life still have meaning when faced with such atrocities? Such questions have famously been answered by Viktor Frankl (a holocaust survivor) in his book Man's Search for Meaning. In contrast to Viktor Frankl's experience in concentration camps, and his ultimate conclusion that life can still have meaning under such circumstances, it was interesting to find an example of a colonel in WWII giving a short speech about meaning to a gro
I Heart Huckabees - Move Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. I Heart Huckabees is a film self-described as an "existential comedy." The movie was release in 2004, directed by David O. Russell. Albert, who is played by Jason Schwartzman, ends up at a restaurant that requires a suit coat, which he, of course, forgot to bring. So, he
Swamp Thing - The Patchwork Man by Len Wein
As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life. Swamp Thing is a well-known comic book series that was started by Len Wein (writer) and Bernie Wrightson (artist). The series originally came out in the 1970s and immediately gained mass popularity, and for good reason, it was damned good. But as in typical fashion with endev42, we're not here to write about the series, but to exam
Contact - Movie Review
As with all movies on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete synopsis of the film, but rather to document how the movie relates to the meaning of life. With that said, be forewarned, there are still spoilers ahead. Contact is a science fiction movie that was released in 1997 based on Carl Sagan’s novel by the same name. The movie stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Eleanor Arroway and Matthew McConaughey as Rev. Palmer Joss. As one can expect with any work by Carl Sagan, big themes are explor