Don't Panic

In The Hitchhiker's Guide, Adams doesn't offer a philosophy; rather, he poses questions and conundrums, most of which concern humanity's place in the grand scheme. What follows are a half-dozen worth debating.

1. This overlaps with (5 above). The Deep Thought computer says that the Earth was created by the mice as a superior computer to solve the question of life, the universe and everything. People are, in effect, its microscopic components. (This is effectively the Nick Bostrum argument. Is this a possibility? Does it matter?)

2. Woobagger The Infinitely Prolonged fears that eternal life will be boring and meaningless. To offset boredom, he decides to insult everyone in the universe in alphabetical order. Does Sisyphus provide the answer? (If the NHS offered you the possibility of your ageing being stalled, would you accept it?)

Woobagger

3. Confronted, the Christian God says, "I refuse to prove that I exist.....for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing." "But," says Man, "the Babel fish couldn't have evolved by chance. So that  proves that you exist, and so therefore, following your argument, you don't. by Your own arguments, you don't. QED." Note: The Babel fish is a tiny multi-lingual creature you stick in your ear to communicate across species. (Can you unpick this argument?) 

Babel Fish

4. Eddie, the spaceship's computer, is irritatingly and often inappropriately jolly. In contrast, Marvin the paranoid robot is miserable and feels pain in his diodes. Both seem to have an inner life and emotions. The crew of the ship want to turn Eddie off and to leave Marvin to his fate. (Can you be cruel to robots? And when do we start and stop being human?)

'Marvin : Life. Don't talk to me about life'

5. The Total Perspective Vortex is a torture device which drives people mad by showing them how insignificant they are in the great scheme of things. (Can we comprehend this? How should it affect our philosophies?

Of no wider significance...

6. In the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Arthur, a carnivore, opts for the Dish of the Day. It turns out to be a live beast that wants to be eaten. Arthur is reluctant, maybe because dinner isn't usually sentient. Should he eat it? ( If so, should we execute prisoners if that is their wish?)

If you are interested but don't have time to tackle the book series, the 1981 BBC series is free  HERE and is closer to the crazy spirit of Adams' original than the glossy Hollywood version from 2005, which is easy to find on most streaming platforms and looks good, but many of the best gags were dropped to make room for romance and slapstick.