Practical uses of theoretical science

In a thread elsewhere on this forum, JP has made the assertion that my research is not fruitful for the general population. I'd rather not necessarily get into a debate about my particular arena of research, but we can discuss it as an example.I'd like to open up discussion on the merits of theoretical scientific research in general. Is it worth spending money on research that, at first glance, may offer no practical applications? What value, if any, does such research have?CheersJoe Meert[This message has been edited AdminSylas, 05-04-2004]

I also think that many people forget that those doing cutting edge research are not doing so in isolation. A lot of research is conducted in University settings and there are students working on the research projects. Thus, one benefit is that new people are learning how to (a) conduct scientific research (b) think logically (c) analyze critically and (d) imagine new problems and solutions. I also bet you that if you closely examine research that is thought to be 'of no practical use' you would be surprised at how much it is put into practice. One other important issue is that scientists are not the best at communicating their results to the outside world. Creationists and other scientific charlatans take advantage of this by presenting clear sounding and simple counter arguments that appeal to many. Scientists need to be better about communicating their results to the citizenry who is paying for it.CheersJoe Meert