Know thyself? Arguments on the relevance of the first-person perspective

The paper investigates wether humans can give reliable information about themselves, at least in some respects. In a first step the presupposition is discussed that certain concepts of ordinary language which refer to mental phenomena do not become obsolete and cannot be reduced to observable or physiological phenomena as a result of scientific progress. in a second step, the possible inference is critizised that self-observation could be a way to assess psychological processes or states. These abjections, however, do not diminish the validity and the relevance of knowing and speaking about oneself. rt is argued that a person's knowledge about mental states and phenomena as well as the possibility to comprehend these phenomena (e. g. to express them verbally) are constitutive for them. A comprehensive psychology, however, cannot succeed without these mental aspects of human life.