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.