... when they could be working on real problems. What constitutes a real problem is not as absolute and self-evident as you seem to think. There are any number

... when they could be working on real problems. What constitutes a real problem is not as absolute and self-evident as you seem to think. There are any number of science stories in which a seemingly impractical pursuit led to something valuable in the long term. That's in the nature of science, which has always cost less than the budget allotments for "real problems" like defense, entitlements and grain subsidies.