is
to genuinely agree to something

Expressing agreement, or even thinking you want something doesn’t necessarily mean you want it in reality. You could be insincere, or misinformed about what it is you’re “agreeing” to. The 5 principles of consent, with practical measures to uphold them, are important safeguards against tyranny.

Consent is sincere

It should not be a product of coercion, such as peer pressure or blackmail. To help ensure we aren’t being forced into a choice, both options “yes” and “no” should be available when possible, and the one requesting consent should hold as little power as possible over the one giving consent.

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Consent is informed

What does it mean for consent to be informed? It means we know what we’re consenting to! None of us have the perfect, future-seeing knowledge required for absolute certainty in our choices, but we should be as informed as possible. Not only does this require knowledge of how choices directly affect us, but how they affect others as well (hence the importance of empathy.)

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Consent is clear

When possible it should not just be “assumed” or expressed with an air of uncertainty. Both verbal and non-verbal communication (such as body language) are valid ways to give clear consent.

Consent is ongoing

While not always possible, ideally we’re able to change our mind and opt out at any point.

Consent is mutual

No one is free until everyone is free.

BEWARE

Popular ideology around consent twists the principles of consent to discriminate against marginalized groups such as non-human animals, children, the elderly, the disabled, women, and (historically) black people. An individual’s supposed inability to make good choices for themselves is used as justification to commit violence against them. Agency is denied to those whose intelligence, knowledge, rationality, or power are arbitrarily deemed “too low.” Besides these virtues often not actually being “lower,” while they are significant in one’s ability to give meaningful consent (also known as autonomy,) reduced autonomy does not equal no autonomy. Rather than denying agency to those with weaker autonomy, we should be defending their agency and taking steps to improve their autonomy. For example, the Feminist movement aimed to improve women’s autonomy by giving her more control over her finances, the right to vote, more access to education, more career opportunities, more protection against domestic abuse, and equal social and legal status to men. Modern accessibility accommodations and legal protections are empowering the disabled, children, and animals.