Introduction
This chapter introduces this book’s investigation into the question of which normative principle governs the scope of consent. The scope of someone’s consent is the range of actions that they permit by giving consent. The ultimate conclusion of this book is that the scope of consent is determined by certain evidence that bears on the appropriate interpretation of the consent. To reach this conclusion, this book’s investigation involves taking a stance on what constitutes consent. By appealing to the idea that someone can justify their behaviour by appealing to another person’s consent, this book defends the view that consent consists in behaviour that expresses a consent-giver’s will for how a consent-receiver behaves. Discovering the principle for consent scope’s is important for a variety of practical applications, including sexual deception: by engaging in deception, a perpetrator can unwittingly manipulate their victim into taking part in a sexual encounter that lies outside the scope of their consent.