Self-knowledge, Authenticity and Obedience

Abstract

In this paper I propose a certain account of how the epistemic privilege of the first-person perspective relates to a certain kind of authority upon oneself. I will challenge Robert Dunn’s and Richard Moran’s view on this subject matter, and sketch an alternative approach. For this purpose, I will firstly take advantage of Bernard Williams’ notions of acknowledgement and making sense and, secondly, I will make use of Simone Weil’s distinction between the two senses of obedience and the associated notion of attention. In contrast with Moran’s and Dunn’s view, I will conclude that a certain sort of self-perception lies at the heart of our agency and, therefore, in our capacity to lead a relatively authentic life. I will argue that this kind of self-perception escapes the standard worries about a private mind but is still specifically first-personal.