I sometimes find it a shame...

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Anything that society is in practical want or need of, obviously. You're a theist, surely imagination is not something you lack?

The church was generally the one who provided that as well; the cathedrals you are referring to were largely built by local guilds and communities coming together and wanting to build a shrine to the uniting thread that binded them, to glorify God's kingdom on Earth.

There are plenty of scientific reasons as to why this is good for a society as well, so I'm just not sure what would have been necessarily more practical.

(bold mine)

Horseshit. Cathedrals were built by the Church so bishops would have a more central location from which to fleece their flocks. This form of economic rapine started with Constantine and hasn't changed.

Boru