While I happen to think that there's no such thing as "real value" (in an objective sense), I think I can see where you are coming from. It's one of things I noticed early on, as I was watching the first one hundred episodes or so: Shinichi never really delves in the philosophy of things. He has an incredible scientific mind, but he does not penetrate far beneath the mechanics of the cases he is involved in. He is dedicated to fighting crime, but he doesn't seem to ask why crimes occur in the first place. Of course, he is gifted at reading people and deducing individual motives for crimes, but it seems that he neglects to read the hereditary-environmental factors which produce the criminals in the first place. Were he to focus on analyzing the structure of his society, he might arrive at insights that go beyond mere facts. This could enable him to address the causes of the effects rather than the effects proper. In other words, he could preempt crimes rather than solving them. But that wouldn't make for a good detective show, would it?
One might go so far as to say that Shinichi has what Michael Crichton used to refer to as "thintelligence," in that he is competent at manipulating facts but does not perceive the deeper implications of those facts--that is, the implications that extend far beyond the immediate context. But I'd say that's a little unfair. For one thing, figuring out how criminals exploit objects and the surrounding environment often demands exceptional creativity, not just a good memory. And hey, he's still only 17 years old! To be sure, one can think profound thoughts at an early age, but maybe it's too early to reach a verdict on whether his intelligence is wasted on him or not. I'd give him 10 years before I reach mine.