From Psychology to Phenomenology: Franz Brentano's 'Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint' and Contemporary Philosophy of Mind

In 1874 a controversial ex-Catholic priest published a book that would change the course of contemporary psychology and philosophy. Franz Brentano, a German professor of philosophy, would go on to teach students as important and diverse as Edmund Husserl, Sigmund Freud, and Rudolf Steiner. Brentano's Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint, would go on to make a mark in the history of philosophy for its reintroduction of the doctrine of intentionality in philosophy of mind and its ambitious attempt to establish psychology as an autonomous science. Brentano's Psychology explored important aspects of the mind and mental life such as the nature of consciousness and mental representation. In subsequent years the course of modern philosophy and modern psychology would change dramatically and Brentano's approach would be left as an important source more referenced in passing than paid serious attention. Biagio Tassone's study From Psychology to Phenomenology offers an in depth exploration of Brentano's seminal work as an example of a still relevant approach to philosophy of mind.