PHIL 45.03 Consent in Philosophy and Law

What is consent? Despite its enormous moral and legal centrality, the idea of consent seems flawed in important ways. It is not obvious what counts as consent, or what makes it reasonable to believe in consent. Consent can be coerced, or unwilling. Ideally, consent and refusal are instantaneous powers conferring recognized permission or obligation on recipients. In real life, however, particularly for women, consent and refusal can be ignored, dismissed, misunderstood, or deemed irrelevant. We will examine the concept of consent in legal theory and moral philosophy to move towards a better understanding of it in sexual contexts.

Prerequisite

One Philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:TMV

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