December (cough) 14

[Zeke]

In G. H. Hardy's A Mathematician's Apology, he raises that point quite seriously in defense of mathematics as a career choice. The book was written not long after World War II, when applied science had just proven its ability to kill millions in an instant; Hardy was a fierce opponent of the war and found comfort in the fact that no one will ever be killed by a transcendental number or a definite integral.

Originally Posted by Kira

I bet that one's always a real barn-burner.

As opposed to those always-hopping microbiology parties?