In light of everyone losing their minds over the great high resolution JWST images, what’s the functional application of this new information? Considering that we are so far away from even the closest star that interstellar travel is extremely unlikely, how does this new information help us?

Question

Let me state for the record that **I am not trolling**, and I am blown away by the imagery as much as the next person.
But what can we do with this new information? Where does it take us? How does it help us?

What’s next?

In: 262

Answer 1

When the Wright Brothers first flew, one of the reactions to the feat was “Well that’s interesting, but of what use is it?”

When man landed on the moon: “Well that’s interesting, but of what use is it?”

The whole history of science in the post-industrial era is of constantly pushing the limits of our knowledge farther and farther out, *just for the sake of gaining knowledge.* The actual benefits of that new knowledge can’t be predicted, only recognized in hindsight.