deontic role permission role A deontic role that inheres in an agent and which permits certain actions. Important Note: When we use ‘consent’ to talk about the thing provided to an investigator then what we are referring to is a permission role, that was the output of an Act of Consent. This is all consent is, per this representation. J. Neil Otte Note: This may become ‘permittee role’ in order to better distinguish it from the corresponding ‘permittor role’ (the person with the deontic power to grant permissions to others). Note: Typically, in the context of consent, a permission role will inhere in a clinician or investigator as a result of an act of permitting, but possibly an act of authorizing. Authorizing is different from permitting, but this needs to be worked out. Perhaps one has provided permission, but the process and the documentation need to be authorized by some authority prior to a clinician acquiring a permission role. There is also the case Chris Stockert raised, where an organization authorizes some data or specimens to be used, despite no consent or assent having been provided.