# (2) 27 Feb 2007, 08:06AM: MC Masala on Blinders:
Freaking prejudice! Freaking lack of metacognition! Aaargh!
It is impossible for a virgin to know what sex is like, and the same applies to new drugs or mindbending experiments.
How can you give informed consent to an experience you've never had before?
We are ignorant, not just of facts, but of the models, lenses and architectures we should use to evaluate the facts that we do have. All we can do is be glad when we're disoriented, because right after that comes a measure of enlightenment.
If our assumptions blind us to what's really going on, how can we make sure we're acting ethically? One example: in sex, in psychology experiments, in drug use, we comfort ourselves with disclaimers about consenting adults.
Cogito, Ergo Sumana by Sumana Harihareswara is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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