Automation is not a universal good, it can be useful and it can be detrimental. Like all tools it should be used with care.

Exactly. Value is a vector: automation increases the magnitude, but the direction depends on exactly what is being automated (and how reliable it is).

"Magic" is automation that is hidden from you. That one is not universally good. The one thing you don't want on the configurations of a server farm is "magic". It is simply impossible to manage.

But it's a good thing LE is available without the magic too.

> The one thing you don't want on the configurations of a server farm is "magic". It is simply impossible to manage.

Are you managing all your TCP connections manually then? It's a miracle that "magic" works without you having to manage it.