Final answer:
Aristotle and Kant justified human moral status based on rationality and autonomy, which has faced criticism for valuing certain groups over others.
Step-by-step explanation:
Historically, philosophers like Aristotle and Immanuel Kant have identified rationality and autonomy as the principal factor that justifies the moral status of human beings. Aristotle posited that human virtue or excellence is realized through the development of reason and that humans achieve eudaimonia, or flourishing, by cultivating virtues, which are habits of character aligned with reason. Kant, on the other hand, located human worth and dignity in our capacity for rationality, declaring that rational beings are ends in themselves due to their ability to reason.
Feminists have criticized these perspectives, as they traditionally place lesser worth on women by associating them more with emotion than rationality. Furthermore, this emphasis on rationality can overlook the interests of oppressed or vulnerable groups, as well as those who are not fully functioning rational agents, like children.