5 - Improving the Conditions of Consent

Summary

Consentability of a risky activity is advisable only where it is likely that the conditions of consent will be properly constructed in light of the gravity of the consequences resulting from the risky activity. Regretable decisions are the byproduct of constraints on human cognition and the limits imposed by socio-economic conditions. As imperfect humans in an imperfect and unfair world, we can expect some degree of regret over our past decisions. But sometimes the level of regret is so profound that the decision should never have been made. Chapter 5 addresses the first guiding principle of the consentability framework, the Regret Principle, and suggests some ways to improve the conditions of consent.