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It may be fair but it's definitely not reasonable. Progress in mathematics has foreshadowed practical applicability sometimes by centuries. It's short-sighted t
by 13415 3y ago
It may be fair but it's definitely not reasonable. Progress in mathematics has foreshadowed practical applicability sometimes by centuries. It's short-sighted to consider applications outside of mathematics in the hiring of mathematicians.
In that context, it's worth noting that research mathematicians almost always mean "applications to other fields of mathematics" when they talk about the applicability of their research.
- sfpotter 3y agoI don't agree. You're basically sticking your head in the sand saying that because there have been unanticipated benefits sometimes hundreds of years later, we can't even attempt to decide what research is valuable. If the public is paying for research, it is both fair and reasonable to ask questions about its utility. It's as simple as that.
- maleldil 3y ago> it is both fair and reasonable to ask questions about its utility. What questions, though? How do we know that these questions are well-calibrated for the long-tail cases that end up being valuable centuries later?