I dunno about "progress" per se but when smart physicists and mathematicians leave their fields, they often end up in finance and tech. Mostly doing the opposite of "societal progress," they're pulling levers to maximize profit from the destruction of society.

What I'm saying here is essentially "idle hands are the devil's playground." Keeping wonks fascinated by the minutae of the nature of the universe is, in my mind, better for society than many alternatives I see.