LordoftheMorons posted...
meisnewbie posted...
1) Merely because they were invented in mathematics first doesn't necessarily that it couldn't be invented in science, engineering when they were needed and when less brainpower was "lost". There is such a thing as an opportunity cost, although I don't think anyone can say for certain how much there is until we gain a better understanding of neurological basis of mathematical discoveries (and I probably would have to eat my words).
Well yeah, sure (one example that comes to mind is early particle physicists basically rederiving group theory because they didn't know it existed), but given how much of research involves a good deal of brilliance, I think it's reasonable to expect that on average things would be delayed.
I'm not sure merely because it's "reasonable" that it would be necessarily true. I don't know enough about the history and productivity of mathematical research in order to make any definitive claims, but money that's being spent on... oh I don't know of any distinctively less useful mathematical discipline... uhhhh anything mathematical talent wasted on string theory related stuff could instead be used on... I don't know... solving P=NP (...although this is CS), better numerical analysis techniques so that material science stuff can developed faster or drawing people into the math industry itself.
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