You can ask that of a lot of math as well. A lot of stuff has only become useful recently though. E.g. abstract algebra is used in material science. From her

You can ask that of a lot of math as well. A lot of stuff has only become useful recently though. E.g. abstract algebra is used in material science. From here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_theory "An understanding of group theory is also important in physics and chemistry and material science." In short, any time we break a new barrier we open ourselves up to something potentially useful for the future.