I agree completely that over time, our current beliefs about who is and isn’t capable of giving informed consent to enter into a sexual relationship will be replaced by different beliefs.
I don’t quite see why trending towards considering more and more people capable of consent is more likely than trending towards fewer and fewer people capable of it, or something else, but it’s certainly possible. (If you can share your thinking along these lines, I’d be interested.)
In terms of my reactions, I am of course repulsed by the idea of people I don’t consider capable of informed consent being manipulated or forced into providing the semblance of it, except in those cases where I happen to endorse the thing they’re being manipulated or forced into doing, and also repulsed by the idea of people I consider capable of giving informed consent being denied the freedom to do so, except in those cases where I happen to endorse them being denied that freedom.
This includes (but is very much not limited to) being repulsed by the example of eight-year-olds being considered capable of giving consent to have sex with adults, and of anyone not being considered capable of refusing such consent.
I am of course aware that my own notions of who is and isn’t capable of consenting to what degree to what acts are essentially arbitrary, and I don’t lend much credence to the idea that I am by a moral miracle able to make the right distinction. I make the distinctions I make; as my social context changes I will make different distinctions.
I agree completely that over time, our current beliefs about who is and isn’t capable of giving informed consent to enter into a sexual relationship will be replaced by different beliefs.
I don’t quite see why trending towards considering more and more people capable of consent is more likely than trending towards fewer and fewer people capable of it, or something else, but it’s certainly possible. (If you can share your thinking along these lines, I’d be interested.)
In terms of my reactions, I am of course repulsed by the idea of people I don’t consider capable of informed consent being manipulated or forced into providing the semblance of it, except in those cases where I happen to endorse the thing they’re being manipulated or forced into doing, and also repulsed by the idea of people I consider capable of giving informed consent being denied the freedom to do so, except in those cases where I happen to endorse them being denied that freedom.
This includes (but is very much not limited to) being repulsed by the example of eight-year-olds being considered capable of giving consent to have sex with adults, and of anyone not being considered capable of refusing such consent.
I am of course aware that my own notions of who is and isn’t capable of consenting to what degree to what acts are essentially arbitrary, and I don’t lend much credence to the idea that I am by a moral miracle able to make the right distinction. I make the distinctions I make; as my social context changes I will make different distinctions.
I’m OK with that.