Consent to Sexual Relations

by Alan Wertheimer

• ISBN13: 9780521536110
• ISBN10: 0521536111
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-06
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

When does a woman give valid consent to sexual relations? When does her consent render it morally or legally permissible for a man to have sexual relations with her? Why is sexual consent generally regarded as an issue about female consent? And what is the moral significance of consent? These are some of the questions discussed in this important book, which will appeal to a wide readership in philosophy, law, and the social sciences. Alan Wertheimer develops a theory of consent to sexual relations that applies to both law and morality in the light of the psychology of sexual relations, the psychology of perpetrators, and the psychology of the victims. He considers a wide variety of difficult cases such as coercion, fraud, retardation, and intoxication. We can all agree that 'no' means 'no'. This book suggests that the difficult question is whether 'yes' means 'yes'.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Abbreviations	xv
1 Introduction	1	(10)
2 Law	11	(26)
3 The psychology of sex	37	(33)
4 The psychology of perpetrators	70	(19)
5 The harm and wrong of rape	89	(30)
6 The value of consent	119	(25)
7 The ontology of consent	144	(19)
8 Coercion	163	(30)
9 Deception	193	(22)
10 Competence	215	(17)
11 Intoxication	232	(26)
12 Sex and justice	258	(19)
Appendix: Alphabetical list of hypothetical cases	277	(10)
Index	287