Volume 21, Issue 1, Spring 2024
In¨ºs Salgueiro
Pages 5-29
https://doi.org/10.5840/envirophil2024423138
Kantian Animal Ethics, Deep Dignity, and the Moral Game
This paper explores Kant¡¯s concept of dignity to claim that animals deserve moral consideration. The central notion in the paper is of that of ¡°moral game,¡± a hypothetical scenario that illustrates our obligations to cooperate with rational agents and the natural world. This game displays how rational agents can collaborate with non-rational animals despite their inability to engage in reciprocal legislation. From reflection on what this game shows and by introducing a notion of ¡°deep dignity,¡± I argue that rational beings have a duty to respect the moral status of non-human creatures through indirect moral rights.