Franz Clement Brentano (1838-1917)

Abstract

In 1998 'The Brentano Puzzle', edited by Roberto Poli, was published. This collection, the proceedings of a conference by the same name, posed the question of Franz Brentano's importance to philosophy. Yet, the idea behind the conference was to work through the puzzle that surrounds Brentano's apparent invisibility as a nineteenth-century thinker. There seems to be no doubt about his intellectual legacy into the twenty-first century: his scholarly work in both philosophy and psychology is profoundly influential. His place as an esteemed twentieth century cultural theorist is guaranteed by what now might be thought of as his cross-disciplinary contributions through his passionate engagement in the intellectual life of the late nineteenth century. Brentano is rarely mentioned as a great philosopher of that century, however, in spite of his philosophical significance. Whether that significance should be couched in terms of his philosophical contributions as a thinker in his own right or because of his pedagogical legacy is moot. During the twentieth century, the development of a philosophical psychology inspired by Brentano's seminal idea, that of intentional inexistence, was responsible for generating vigorous philosophical debate. Simultaneously, Brentano's work laid the foundation for the study of psychology. Indeed, he is regarded as a father of empirical psychology. He wrestled with his Catholic faith for much of his life. He was ordained a Catholic priest, a vocation he abandoned after ten years. Nonetheless, he was regarded by Catholic liberals as a significant contributor to Catholic intellectual life in Austria at the end of the nineteenth century. Philosopher, psychologist, theologian, and radical, Brentano was a charismatic figure, profoundly intellectual and devoted to learning and to his students.