More Than Mere Consent: A Novel Theory of Sexual Permission

Abstract

Sexual consent is something that is receiving more widespread attention in the face of the #MeToo movement. However, sexual consent as the gold standard of sex is misguided and emphasized to the extent that all other relevant areas of consideration in terms of sex are all but eliminated. In this thesis, I begin by focusing on the flaws of sexual consent. I argue sexual consent is flawed in theory as it conforms to the masculinist tradition of philosophy, it oversimplifies sex, and it attempts to be objective in the face of sex. Further, there is a misguided attempt to fit sex into one-size-fits-all normative ethical approaches. I then argue that any sexual education surrounding consent is ineffective and overruled by the pervasive and poor representations of sex in mainstream media and mainstream pornography. I will then resolve these flaws by arguing for more emphasis placed upon non-mainstream theories of sex, namely theories put forward by Ann Cahill and Quill Kukla. I will then argue for the consent-forward approach to be replaced by a care-forward approach, following care ethics and Joan Tronto’s four qualities of care. Finally, I will argue for an improvement of sexual education and sexual normalization, by fixing sexual education and improving representations of sex in mainstream pornography and mainstream media. In doing so, I will formulate an approach to sex that is more conducive to good sex than the consent-forward model.