When working on crypto I'm not sure whether you are more likely to kill people by breaking an encryption algorithm or rescue people by fixing something.
Certainly Godel didn't think of saving lives when working out his [in]completeness theorems.
I don't see how he did safe lives by working on them. Could you explain?
He hasn't yet, but if you believe that MIRI will eventually save humans from UFAI, and given that some of the basic work they do relies on his results, one can make a case for Godel inadvertently helping to save lives.
A high school student with an interest in math asks whether he's obligated on utilitarian grounds to become a doctor.
The commenters pretty much say that he isn't, but now I'm wondering-- if you go into reasonably pure math, what areas or specific problems would be most likely to contribute the most towards saving lives?