There is a great deal of basic scientific research that is not immediately profitable, but is still "worthy" of doing. Such research requires an non-profit-seek

There is a great deal of basic scientific research that is not immediately profitable, but is still "worthy" of doing. Such research requires an non-profit-seeking entity to fund it. In an ideal libertarian paradise, individuals who choose to fund unprofitable research could band together and select projects, but if the government stops funding research tomorrow, what makes you think individuals are going to pick up the slack? How much unprofitable research is funded by private individuals today? Public goods merit public funding.