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by throwaway082729 2501 days ago
Can legal agreements be expressed as an algorithm?
4 comments

When logically consistent, but the written contract is not always the final word. Example: lack of consideration (https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/consideration-every-...)
If they could in all cases then we wouldn't need courts.
Not to replace courts but to understand legal agreements better. If you could express it as an algorithm, perhaps, you could rewrite in simpler english or answer questions about it?
You'd still run into the halting problem. And you'd have lawyers wanting to write legal agreements that run into that, so that nobody can determine what they really mean, so that nobody can prove what a scam they are.
Options contracts are exactly this.