I have no problem with improvement. I think umpires should constantly seek to improve. But, this is where we have some fundamental disagreements, and where I think you are myopic in your perspective. When the human element is removed it has a negative effect on humans. We are social creatures, designed to interact with one another. What if I told you right now that I am not a human, rather I am a computer program designed to simply interact with you? I have no feelings, emotions or cares. I am just rote computer data responding to your inputs. What if everyone else in here was the same? Would you still drop by Hsbaseballweb to chat?
When one talks about automated or computer aided strike zones, it is not at all unreasonable, as you imply, to see that people will be taken away. We are smart people. We can foresee the repercussions of this. When Walmart has self checkout kiosks, they don't hire 8 people to run those. They have one who oversees them all. The purpose is to get rid of humans. But again. That is not as wise as some might think for reasons stated above.
The cascading lust for the perfectly called game inevitably leads to increased dependence upon machinery, computers, etc. Hence the eventual removal of the human umpire altogether. Or do you just think that at some point people will have a "charming" affinity for umpires and not let that happen? At what point will that be? And, why shouldn't it be now?
We disagree fundamentally on your position that we should "do everything possible to reduce that error as much as possible." 1) I have to ask, would removing humans altogether fall within your range of "everything possible?" If so, how does this comport with your statement that "No one is advocating removing umpires?" 2) You seem to be treating baseball as if it's national security or fighting childhood cancer. No. We don't need to do everything possible to seek out the perfectly called baseball game.
As to finding it "Charming to have something in the game to argue about." I will freely stipulate that I think that emotions and passion are a huge part of fandom. The more one sterilizes the game the less appeal it has to humans. Even computer geeks like to go to a game and yell and be passionate. If we aren't passionate then we aren't human. And such is why we need to keep humans in the game, and quit complaining because they don't do a 100% accurate job.
Furthermore, imagine if someone showed up at your job and said, "You do a 90% plus good job. But it's not quite 100%. Here's 6 months severance. We've got a computer to do your job better." Talk about taking all sense of personal accomplishment and will to improve away. Talk about sucking the life out of people. You feel called to a vocation, and you are exceptional at doing it. But it turns out your not perfect so, in essence, you're worthless and unneeded. A computer will be replacing you. This is not a world that we want to enter into.
As I have stated before, I have a high degree of respect and appreciation for the work done by human umpires. Sometimes they get things wrong. Sometimes it affects a game. But that is how life goes. Until, of course, GPS comes along and insures that there are no injustices or misunderstandings, that no one gets promoted for kissing up to the boss, there's income equity and everybody marries everybody for the right reasons.