--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Government should allow persons to engage…" description: "\"Government should allow persons to engage in whatever conduct they want to, no matter how deviant or abnormal it may be, so long as (a) they know what ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/hugo-adam-bedau-243114_abnormal_government-should-allow-persons-to-engag_1331675.jpg" --- # Government should allow persons to engage in whatever… ![“Government should allow persons to engage in whatever conduct they want to, no matter how deviant or abnormal it may be, so long as (a) they know what they are doing, (b) they consent to it, and (c) no one - at least no one other than the participants - is harmed by it.” quote by Hugo Adam Bedau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/hugo-adam-bedau-243114_abnormal_government-should-allow-persons-to-engag_1331675.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/hugo-adam-bedau-243114_abnormal_government-should-allow-persons-to-engag_1331675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/hugo-adam-bedau-243114_abnormal_government-should-allow-persons-to-engag_1331675.jpg) > “Government should allow persons to engage in whatever conduct they want to, no matter how deviant or abnormal it may be, so long as (a) they know what they are doing, (b) they consent to it, and (c) no one - at least no one other than the participants - is harmed by it.” [Hugo Adam Bedau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-adam-bedau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Individuals should be free to engage in consensual activities, provided they understand them, consent, and cause no harm to others. **In simple terms:** Freedom with informed consent and no harm. Key Takeaway Respect informed consent and avoid causing harm. Themes freedom consent ethics personal autonomy harm prevention Mood ethical analytical Type Abnormal:0 Consent:1 Deviants:0 Government:0 Knows:0 Liberty:1 Long:0 Matter:0 May:0 Participants:1 Persons:1 Politics:0 Should:0 Want:0 Government Allow:0 Allow Persons:0 Doing Consent:0 Consent Participants:0 When to use this quote - legal policy - medical ethics - personal relationships Key Concepts libertarian ethics moral philosophy risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - When is consent truly informed? - How can we ensure no harm occurs? A Different Perspective Consent can be ambiguous in power‑imbalanced contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abnormal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abnormal/) [Allow Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allow-persons-4470633/) [Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent/) [Consent Participants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent-participants-4470635/) [Deviants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deviants/) [Doing Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-consent-4470634/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Allow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-allow-1986706/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Participants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participants/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Benedict XVI kept saying that homosexuals are deviant. They're not deviant. 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Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [I thin many people's deviant behavior starts with dreams because dreams are so non-linear... as if there's an assumption that everything has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-thin-many-people-s-deviant-behavior-starts-with-dreams-because/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [To be a hero you have to learn to be a deviant — because you're always going against the conformity of the group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-hero-you-have-to-learn-to-be-a-deviant-because-you-re-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is impermanent and in the face of that impermanence, cavort! 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