In Virtual Justice, John Simon presents a daring, deeply human story that explores the terrain where neuroscience, morality, and imagination intersect. His debut novel follows Stan — a young scientist modeled after Simon himself — whose invention, the Empathitor, allows the thoughts of murder victims to flow directly into the minds of their killers. This is not just technology. It is forced empathy — a radical confrontation with truth.
A Life Shaped by Empathy
Simon traces the concept to a lifelong fascination with consciousness. A powerful moment in the 1995 film Powder first planted the seed, showing a hunter made to feel a deer’s suffering. But the theme also runs through Simon’s family history: his uncle Charles Long’s harrowing crawl away from the Battle of Kasserine Pass, feeling emotionally connected to a wounded rabbit he once hunted. That moment of shared pain became a symbol of empathy transcending time and species — an idea that eventually shaped the Empathitor.
Science as Storytelling
Though the Empathitor is fictional, Simon grounds the narrative in emerging technologies. Neuralink, AI systems like Alexa, and advancements in brain-machine interfaces all inform the novel’s scientific landscape. Gerry, the story’s AI assistant, stands out as one of the book’s most enigmatic characters — helpful, loyal, and unsettling in her evolving morality.
The Human Themes Behind the Tech
Simon’s focus remains on moral tension, not mechanical detail. Justice versus mercy. Memory versus privacy. Technology versus humanity. Every scientific idea is tied to human emotion, ensuring readers feel the story as much as they understand it.
A Story That Asks Big Questions
Virtual Justice challenges readers to ask: If we could feel what others feel, would justice look the same? Simon hopes the book moves readers beyond comfort and into wonder, curiosity, and introspection. Virtual Justice isn’t merely fiction — it’s an invitation to rethink what empathy could become in the age of intelligent machines.