Franz Brentano

Franz Brentano (July 16, 1853 - November 17, 1920) was an influential figure in both philosophy and psychology. His influence was felt by other figures such as Edmund Husserl and Meinong[?] who followed and adapted Brentano's views. He is best known for his views on intentionality, a concept from scholastic philosophy which he gave a new lease of life (though in fact he never used the word). Intentionality is 'aboutness', the relationship between, for example, a sentence and the real world. Brentano wrote of the "intentional inexistence" of the objects of thought in the mind, which he maintained could not be accounted for by anything physical; a proof, it seemed, of dualism - the existence of a separate spiritual world.