Final answer:
Humans have rationality and moral agency, qualities that distinguish them from nonperson animals. Philosophers like Aristotle and Kant argue that these qualities are central to human virtue and moral worth, pointing to the intrinsic value and potentiality inherent in human nature.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to L. R. Baker, humans possess two distinct qualities that nonperson animals do not, which are rationality and moral agency. Personhood and the concepts surrounding it are especially central in philosophical debates regarding moral status and ethical issues such as abortion. The philosophical foundations laid by thinkers like Aristotle emphasize the singular function of humans - that is rational activity, which is critical to the actualization of human virtue. Similarly, Immanuel Kant's ethical theory posits that our intrinsic worth is anchored in our capacity for rationality and our ability to treat others as ends in themselves, highlighting the inherent value of being a rational moral agent.
Furthermore, the debate extends to the potential of persons, where even unborn or developmentally incomplete individuals are argued to possess value owing to their inherent human nature. This invokes Aristotle's concept of potentiality, which suggests that just as an acorn inherently contains the essence of the oak it may become, a human embryo inherently possesses the essence of a person. The discourse also entails considerations of when personhood begins, questioning whether there is a specific threshold beyond which human beings can be considered fully rational agents deserving of the full spectrum of rights accorded to persons.