Since the Enlightenment, self-determination, reason, and free will have been essential for a dignified, content, and happy life. But what exactly does that mean? How are self-awareness and self-determination connected? Our thinking, feeling, and acting are also shaped by external circumstances. How can we still influence our lives so that they do not simply happen to us? What role do others play, and how can we succeed in aligning what we want with our environment? Peter Bieri vividly and diversely explores these core themes of human existence and encourages readers to become the authors of their own life stories.