"Useless intellectual work" I don't believe in that.
Science is like a random-search. The more scientists you employ, the more discoveries they will make.
This is very much NOT my point. Please read my initial post again. Or maybe I should rewrite it.
What I call useless is the intellectual work which is dedicated not to actual research, but only in the determination of the smartest people. Once those smart people are detetected, they are given high social status, without any real requirement for them to do any real actual scientific research. This is a waste of good brain power, and it is a very wrong basis for society.