Lopez, Andrew2017-12-202017-12-202017-12-20http://hdl.handle.net/10222/73548Kantian philosophy has been very influential in modern and contemporary philosophy, particularly on morality, conceptions of personhood, and their relationship with each other. In this thesis, I aim to critically explore both Immanuel Kant's philosophy and the thought of certain philosophers who work within the Kantian tradition. Specifically, I focus on the human-animal distinction within the Kantian framework. First, I provide a critical exegesis of Kant's moral philosophy as it relates to human nature, the human animal, and nonhuman animals. Second, I discuss the work of 20th century philosopher Wilfrid Sellars, whose aim was to synthesize the Kantian framework with a metaphysical naturalism. I investigate the status of animals within Sellars's philosophy, and provide a critique of his anthropocentrism. Finally, I turn to contemporary theorists of human dignity inspired by Kantian conceptions of dignity as rank. I argue that this dignitarian approach denigrates not just nonhuman animals, but humans as embodied animal subjects. I then provide a brief argument for reorienting our ethical thinking with human and animal vulnerability in mind.en-USKant, Immanuel,1724-1804Sellars, Wilfriddignitypersonhoodanimalsanimality