You are all using the internet... HTML developed out of the need for particle physicists to share knowledge... you never know when in the pursuit of science something will spinoff to become a day to day technology.

Science, technology and economics are all multipliers that can be used on other things and themselves.

So as wealth increases so does the ability (surplus) appear to pursue science. As science increases so does the number of 'levers', these levers make economic gains for us, increasing wealth.

Check out those societies that are against secular knowledge and unless they have oil or mineral wealth they are poor both in wealth and social ability... war torn in short.