How much money is spent on useless studies?

Question

I'm making this up but this is the general idea. Scientists have now
proven that if you drink lots of water, it decreases your thirst temporarily.

I read this kind of crap all the time.

Answer 1

Too much.

Answer 2

Francis Bacon talked about what you'd call useless and useful science, with his terms "experimenta lucifera" and "experimenta fructifera." In what many people describe as useless study, scientists are exploring unknown phenomena to uncover new information, like looking around in the dark before they become illuminated. That's the "lucerifa" kind of experimentation: from the Latin word, lux, for "light." In practical experiments, the results can be immediately applied, in industry or medicine, etc . . . they bear fruit, so to speak, so this kind of experimentation is called "fructifera."

It's hard to imagine how science could proceed without both kinds of research.

And it's hard to imagine that the study you cite is as you describe it. Beware of rumors, forwarded messages, and second-hand information. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Answer 3

In the greater scheme of things, the answer to your question is "not enough to even count".

Think about it, all progress depends to a certain extent on pure science, so what you perceive as "useless studies" have resulted in the past in discoveries like aspirin, penicillin, quinine, surgery, chemotherapy, airplane flight....

etc etc

nothing ventured, nothing gained

if you like it here, and can tolerate 1 in three people getting cancer, then maybe we should just stop all research since we can't be sure there'll be any cash return on it...

Answer 4

How much time is spent on Useless Questions?
This one gets me to level 2. Yahhh!

Answer 5

Around millions of dollars on useless stuff

Answer 6

Send me some money and I'll study on it awhile.

Answer 7

I'm not certain...perhaps we can do a study on it & get a government grant~