It seems to me like an entirely valid field of academia. Understanding how music works and is made doesn't have to be through playing it, and it seems like an entirely elitist view point and I'm just wondering about your justification.
i think understanding music has to be based on the way it sounds. whether or not 'music theory' means that or not, is up for grabs. i don't think it's clear quite what it means. but i get a lot of people asking me about it, and they are usually talking about 'rules' and what you 'should' do in music, and all kinds of analysing music without even listening to it, which seems unfair. it's like evaluating the taste of food without tasting it. like what the hell