The aim of this article is to explore Kant’s use of elements from various theories of natural right as imagery in the Critique of Pure Reason. 1 My thesis is that Kant’s use of different legal metaphors in the Critique of Pure Reason has more than an expository aim. I argue that Kant’s recurrent use of examples and imagery from the legal world in the Critique of Pure Reason connects the epistemological investigation with the question of right. Kant uses the analogies and allusions to explain different aspects of his theo- retical philosophy. Together, the metaphors create a mosaic that illustrates Kant’s conception of ideal as well as actual legal procedures. This imagery gives us an idea of how Kant views the legal world as a possible model for philosophical thinking and argumentation. The metaphors also establish a parallel between procedures in the legal world and Kant’s argumentation. Among the many legal analogies in the work, we find courts of justice that are used to explain the critical method; the critique itself is compared to a judge, the argumentation in the transcendental deduction is compared to lawyers’ presentations, the establishment of a philosophical system is com- pared to the passage from a state of nature to a state of law, and nature is compared to a witness in a tribunal. For a discussion of right, the most strik- ing analogy is the parallel that Kant establishes between the critical project and theories of natural right. In general, previous studies of the legal metaphors have focused mainly on the single metaphor that introduces the transcendental deduction and, in particular, Dieter Henrich has proposed to see the distinction between quid facti and quid juris as a paradigm for the argumentation in all of the first Critique and the deductions in the other two Critiques as well. 2 Instead of seeing the legal analogies as an argumentative model, I propose to investi- gate which conception of laws and judgment we find in these analogies and what they can tell us about Kant’s views on rights and conflicting jurisdic- tions. In this article, I explore Kant’s use of legal and natural right theory as examples and imagery. Even though most research on Kant’s stand on natural right theory is based on his Doctrine of Right, Kant also included considerations of right in 4 Human Rights Jurisprudence Seen through the Framework of Kant’s Legal Metaphors Sofie Møller 6244-212-004.indd 52 9/6/2013 8:30:30 AM