ABSTRACT
The Western philosophical tradition has asserted categorical human superiority over nonhuman animals on the grounds that human beings are unique in possessing logos, the capacity for linguistic rationality. The tradition has assumed that this capacity is necessary and sufficient for possessing the highest degree of moral status, and on some accounts, it is required for possessing any moral status whatsoever. A reflection on the writings of some key thinkers, both traditional and contemporary, makes it clear that the tradition has employed the criterion of logos not impartially but rather on the basis of a pre-existing interest in establishing and defending an ideal of human superiority.
