Before Maxwell no one could have predicted that his discoveries would eventually lead to radio and TV, and at the time some may have thought his research as unnecessary... that's the thing, it's impossible to tell which lines of pure scientific will result in things that help humanity.
We could discover something that allows us find new sources of energy, or gain control over forces that we currently can't (like gravity) and use them in new ways.
Something like Hawking radiation might not have a direct practical application, but what it does do is either add support to an existing theory or provide evidence that a new theory is required, which is VERY important.. not every discovery can lead to microwaves or fiber optics or quantum computers, but each one along the way plays as much a role in that pivotal discovery as the discoverer him/herself!
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Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
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