Even if the work/theory later goes belly-up, there are technical/engineering spin-offs (maybe not directly but indirectly!) even from something this esoteric.
I have looked at some of the programs at science/engineering conventions. It might as well have been a comic con convention.
Take a really good look at the research coming out of our universities. This is not to say there is not any good research, but someone should have said NO to a lot of it.
No argument from me. Unfortunately “the system” for both advanced degrees (MS, PhD) for students, promotion and tenure for faculty require “research”. Should such a system be replaced? Yes ! But with what?
Questions that have to be answered for a replacement system to work
1. How do you train a student in “research” without doing “research” even “bad research” is better then no “research” or so its thought.
2. How do you measure faculty performance?
3. How do you even measure good teaching by faculty? Letting the students fill out evaluaion forms? Easily defeated ! If yu give out A’s all the students love you!
And here I am only talking about science & engineering!
Humanities, liberal arts & social sciences are just publishing personal prejudices and calling it “unbiased reserach”. Of course in the academic culture it has the same cache as research in medicine, science & engineering.