Book Description
Franz Brentano developed an original theory of intrinsic value which he attempted to base on his philosophical psychology. Roderick Chisholm presents here a critical exposition of this theory and its place in Brentano's general philosophical system. He gives a detailed account of Brentano's ontology, showing how Brentano tried to secure objectivity for ethics not through a theory of practical reason, but through his theory of the intentional objects of emotions and desires. Professor Chisholm goes on to develop certain suggestions about intrinsic value made by Brentano and his students, and discusses their relevance to theodicy and the problem of evil. Brentano, as the teacher of Husserl, Meinong, Twardowski, and others, stands at the origin of the phenomenological tradition and of the Polish school of philosophy that developed after World War I. He has also had considerable influence on Anglo-American philosophy. This book will interest those concerned with the origins of phenomenological value theory and more generally with the connections between ethics and philosophical psychology. ... Read more

Book Description
When Franz Brentano introduced the concept of intentionality into modern philosophy, he initiated a revolution in philosophical thinking whose effects are still being felt - not least in contemporary developments in the field of cognitive science. Barry Smith's Austrian Philosophy: The Legacy of Franz Brentano is the first extensive study of the philosophy of the Brentano school. The Brentanian philosophy is oriented towards the problem of mental directedness, of how mind relates to objects. Thus in working out their 'theories of objects', the Brentanian philosophers - in contrast to Frege and his successors in the analytic movement - did not abandon psychological concerns in favor of an orientation towards language. Rather, their investigations in ontology proceeded always in tandem with work on the cognitive processes in which objects are experienced. In thus spanning the gulf between psychology and ontology, the Brentano school gave rise to movements of thought such as phenomenology and Gestalt psychology (the term 'Gestalt' was introduced as a technical term of philosophy by Brentano's student Ehrenfels). The Brentanists enjoyed close relations with Carl Menger and other early members of the Austrian school of economics and Austrian Philosophy contains a detailed study of the interconnections between their work on the general theory of value and subjective theories of value developed in the economic sphere. Brentano's student Kasimir Twardowski initiated the rich tradition of scientifically and logically oriented philosophy in Poland, and the role of Brentanianism in Polish philosophy, and especially in the development of Lesniewski's mereology, is here for the first time subjectedto extended historical treatment. Another Brentano student, Carl Stumpf, was responsible for introducing into philosophy the technical term 'Sachverhalt' or 'state of affairs', and the associated doctrine of realism in logic, too, is shown to have been a special preserve ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

refreshing common-sense, lacking methodology
Brentano is principally known for the concept of Intentionality that he pioneered, and that is now a prominent issue within the philosophy of the mind (considered a sub-division with an affinity both to metaphysics and philosophy of language). In this book, however, he attempts to give an account of morals. He analyzes mental activities in depth and searches for a source of certainty in moral judgements, as did many before him (the books dates from 1889). He criticizes Kant, adopts and tries to improve on Descartes, and relies on Aristotle. To sum up, the good is what we rightly love, the bad - what we rightly hate. How do we know what is 'rightly' here ? by distinguishing between instinctive, blind mental impulse and wise, higher vision. And how we do that ? well, by virtue of intuitive evidence of the natural light... yes, the same principal Descartes used. Why read it then ? because Brentano makes some fine observations about the activities of the mind; because dealing with his arguments may spur your own understanding; and because he is an important figure in philosophy, historically. Of course, philosophy never completely solved a cardinal problem, and Brentano is no exception. The important thing is what you go through when facing the problems of morality, among others. Don't skip the appendices. ... Read more