The Joy of Consent: A Philosophy of Good Sex

A Seminary Co-op Notable Book

“Timely and captivating…advances a powerful critique against the contemporary discourse on consent…offers sharp observations throughout.” —Times Literary Supplement

“Thought-provoking…Garcia argues that we need an emancipatory sexual politics based on a deeper understanding of how social norms generate sexual injustices. Ultimately, she advocates a contextually sensitive approach to consent, a notion that responds to the specifics of sexual situations and is relational in nature.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“A brilliant interrogation of the complexities of consent. Manon Garcia shows us that consent can be liberating—for reasons we might not have expected—in enabling good, joyful sex. A must-read.” —Kate Manne, author or Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women

Consent has become the ultimate answer to problems of sexual harassment and violence: as long as all parties agree to sex, the act is legitimate. Critics reply that the awkwardness of confirming consent robs sex of its sexiness. Supporters answer that opposing the consent regime entails defending a patriarchal erotics of silence and mystery.

Philosopher Manon Garcia upends the debate, reframing consent as an ally of pleasure rather than a legalistic killjoy. In doing so, she rejects conventional wisdom on all sides. Garcia challenges simplistic equations between consent and noncoercion and shows that consent alone doesn’t make sex licit. Drawing on sources from Kantian ethics to kink practices, she offers an alternative framework grounded in commitments to autonomy and dignity. And if consent provides a rickety legal standard, Garcia argues that it is essential to the realization of intimate desire.

By appreciating consent as a source of sexual flourishing rather than a legal litmus test, The Joy of Consent adds a fresh voice to the struggle for freedom from sexist violence.