Reminds me of an Isaac Asimov joke I once read.
Physics professor goes to the college president to ask for money for an 'atom smasher.'
The president is furious. "You science people think we're made out of money. The astronomy department wants to build an observatory! The chemistry department wants uranium and gold! All the math people every want is paper, pencils, and erasers; the philosophy department is even better. They don't even need erasers!"