I wouldn't say altruism, more like an anarchist's expectation. It seems some people would've liked there to be no observation just to 'shake things up' and then have to move to a new model. Hawking does mention in the video that the greatest discoveries come from unexpected results. The Higgs Boson has been expected for decades.
I'm a physicist, and I can predicting something then the measurement matching the prediction is freakin' awesome! I have loads of "amazing how well physics works" moments in the lab all the time.
Of course, when it doesn't, it's time for more theory, then more labs, which is fun as well indeed. It's a win-win.
