Is it somehow righteous for academics to study self-referential things that their offspring then go to study in perpetuity? For example, money holes like string

Is it somehow righteous for academics to study self-referential things that their offspring then go to study in perpetuity? For example, money holes like string theory haven't produced any major breakthroughs, and in fact, that is by design. Chipping away at the near infinite scope of the infinite problem is good for writing papers to get PhDs. It is not good for science, or human progress.