A long philosophical tradition, which reaches its peak in the philosophy of German Idealism, holds the thesis that humans fundamentally differ from other animals. However, this position has come under defense since Darwin, primarily because its proponents often cannot clearly articulate what the deep difference between humans and animals is supposed to be. The texts gathered in this volume share the goal of articulating this difference as an expression of the self-consciousness of those whose lives become unique precisely through this self-consciousness. With contributions from, among others, James Conant, Andrea Kern, John McDowell, Terry Pinkard, Sebastian Rödl, and Michael Thompson.