I subscribe to a sort of Kantian consent based ethics (pro-choice), and I would argue that there is such a thing as implicit consent. If you aren't prepared to accept or deal with the potential consequences of an action, don't do it. If you knew of the potential consequences beforehand, chose to proceed, then suffered the consequences, then you have nobody to blame but yourself. The consequence is not at fault for occurring. It is not some grave injustice to you. You, as a thinking entity, chose the future where this event had the potential to occur.
If it is cloudy out, and there's a possibility of rain, and you choose not to bring a coat or umbrella, then it is not the fault of the rain that you got wet. The rain merely is. You simply chose to act as if it wasn't.
Naturally, humans are not perfect, and we cannot always foresee the consequences of our actions. But most are quite predictable, and many more would be we took a moment to think. For instance, if you have sex with birth control, then you are accepting the possibility that your partner (or you) could get pregnant. If this happens, you had better be prepared to either get an abortion, or raise the kid. Whatever outcome you hoped for is inconsequential: you played the odds, and this is the outcome you got.
I'm not disagreeing there are consequences to our actions. Even predictable ones. What I'm disagreeing with is that you consent because you knew something bad could happen.
You can claim that there isn't some sort of general social contract. You can reject the authority of the state. You can act based on those beliefs. But you'll quickly be disappointed to find that, regardless of what you hold, society still tends to believe in a social contract, and accepts the authority of the state. Like the rain, it simply is. So either be ready to deal with the consequences (accepting the consequences and going to jail, running from the law, or hiding your actions), or don't do what could bring about the consequences.
Like everyone else who believes in a social contract, you are just assuming there is one. It isn't like the rain. It is some bullshit people have made up to justify their beliefs. Society changes a lot as well. When it changes, this "social contract" won't be like the rain anymore. It won't exist. Sure society accepts the power of the government, but that doesn't mean there is a social contract. That doesn't mean everyone is consenting to a social contract. It means that society has given the government the power to fuck people up who don't follow what the majority of voter want.
Now, the insistence that we have to deal with the consequences of our actions doesn't mean we can't have organizations to help people escape from shitty choices, turn their lives around, or perform similar public services. But we have to live our lives knowing that, whether we want them or not, consequences occur. Reality is inflexible. If you intend to act, you better act in accordance with reality. Not the way you hope it will turn out.
Awesome, I agree. This has nothing to do with consent or a social contract though.