When Justice Becomes Automatic: The Warning Behind Mercy
Technological systems increasingly make decisions once reserved for human judgment. From warfare to administration, speed and automation promise efficiency, but they also shift responsibility away from human reasoning. Paul Scharre, in Army of None , explains why this shift matters. Machines can accelerate decisions, but they cannot understand them. The danger is not intelligence in machines — it is responsibility leaving humans. Machines apply rules. Humans interpret meaning. If removing human judgment creates an ethical gap in warfare, the same concern appears in law. Legal decisions carry irreversible consequences: liberty, property, reputation, sometimes life itself. A justice system therefore does more than determine facts — it legitimizes authority. People accept outcomes not only because they are correct, but because they were heard. That is why mediation exists. Mediation does not simply solve disputes; it produces acceptance. Participation transforms a decision into jus...