(May 31, 2019 at 10:29 am)vulcanlogician Wrote:(May 31, 2019 at 6:28 am)Acrobat Wrote: Do you think consent is compatible with determinism?
Is there a difference between a consensual action like consensual sex, vs coerced or forced actions?
I would say in the realm of what is meant by "consent" there exist the idea of responsibility.
To the determinist, consent exists because it is a real phenomenon in the world. If it is determined that someone knocks on a door and it is determined that someone answers it. Then if it is determined that the one who knocked say, "May I come in?" and they are given an answer: "Yes,"... then consent as been given in a deterministic universe.
Giving consent is an event that happens. I don't think it's necessarily entwined with responsibility. However, if (say) libertarian free will were true, then an agent would be responsible for the consent that they give. That much is true.
I would say what we mean by being responsible for an action, operates in the same way that consenting to an action does. Where as coercion, someone forcing you to act against your own will, negates both responsibility and consent. Responsibility exists in a deterministic universe the same way that consent does. It's the saying yes, to the may i come in, rather no.
