Tugendhat will reestablish the philosophical relevance of self-relation but considers the structural models that traditional self-consciousness theory relies on to be inadequate. Therefore, at the center of his language-analytical interpretations are three philosophers who challenge these models and complement each other: Wittgenstein, who counters the idea of an "I" with the use of the word "I"; Heidegger, who understands self-reference as a behavior towards existence rather than reflection; and G. H. Mead, who argues that one can only relate to oneself by talking to oneself, and this is only possible by talking to others. The understanding of the connection between self-relation, freedom, and reason that emerges ultimately leads to a stark confrontation with Hegel at the end of the book.