I think some posters here have hinted at a question that would need to be answered to assess the automation and philosophy of Airbus, and that is:
'How may accidents has the automation and design philosophy prevented?'
Unfortunately that is obviously a question that can never be answered, therefore it is hard to make a good argument for or against that automation. Really, would a big red override button have saved this plane, but have resulted in two other accidents? We will never know.