This example feels categorically different to me, since economics is fundamentally about modeling the real world, whereas many would argue that the mathematics'

This example feels categorically different to me, since economics is fundamentally about modeling the real world, whereas many would argue that the mathematics' ability to do so is more of a convenient byproduct. This reads to me like an indictment of economics in particular, rather than a general statement about the value of the real-world applicability of research.