Ok but we shouldnt pursue knowledge haphazardly for knowledge sake. There are an infinite number of interesting avenues of inquiry we could send our academics down that would be completely useless. The paths we choose should be guided by the needs of practical application. How else can we value information if not practical application?
"Practical application" is the domain of the engineer, the business person, the sales department, etc. Science and pure curiosity are one and the same.
