Yes and no. A scientist should generate knowledge and insight, the scientist must discover things. The only way to prove that to a bureaucracy is through papers

Yes and no. A scientist should generate knowledge and insight, the scientist must discover things. The only way to prove that to a bureaucracy is through papers. It should not be the end product, but it has become the end product. In any case, it is still insurance, if you publish cited papers, you are safe, even if their contents are useless.