The publication of Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint in 1874 marked a significant shift in European thought, reintroducing the medieval scholastic concept of intentionality to modern academic discourse. As a versatile thinker and educator, Franz Brentano bridged the divide between traditional philosophy and the burgeoning scientific approaches to psychology during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Academic Formation and Early Career
Born in 1838 at Boppard, Brentano pursued an extensive education across several German institutions, including Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the University of Würzburg, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the University of Tübingen, and the University of Münster. He earned his doctorate in 1862 and subsequently completed his habilitation at the University of Würzburg in 1866. Initially ordained as a Catholic priest in 1864, his career path altered following his vocal opposition to the dogma of papal infallibility established by the Pastor aeternus. This disagreement led him to relinquish his priesthood and his university position in 1873.
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Brentano held a professorship at the University of Vienna from 1874 to 1895. His influence on the subsequent generation of thinkers was substantial, as he lectured to students who would go on to shape diverse intellectual movements, including Edmund Husserl, Sigmund Freud, Tomáš Masaryk, and Rudolf Steiner. In 1880, he was required to forfeit both his Austrian citizenship and his full professorial title to marry Ida Lieben, as local laws prohibited marriage for former priests. He continued his academic contributions as a Privatdozent until his retirement.
Core Philosophical Contributions
Central to his work was the definition of mental phenomena through intentionality—the inherent directedness of consciousness toward an object. He famously argued that all mental acts, such as believing, desiring, or perceiving, possess content directed at an object, distinguishing them from physical phenomena. He further categorized his inquiries into genetic psychology, which employed experimental, third-person scientific methods, and descriptive psychology, which analyzed consciousness from a first-person perspective.
Final Years
Following the death of his first wife in 1894, Brentano retired from his university duties in 1896 and relocated to Florence. There, he married his second wife, Emilie Ruprecht, in 1897. With the onset of the First World War, he moved to Zurich, where he remained until his death in 1917. He was buried at the Altstadtfriedhof Aschaffenburg.
Fast facts
- Born: 1838, Boppard, Germany
- Died: 1917, Zurich
- Primary Field: Philosophy and Psychology
- Notable Work: Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint
- University of Würzburg Tenure: 1866-1874
- University of Vienna Tenure: 1874-1895
- Religious Affiliation: Catholic Church (formerly)
- Membership: Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences
Questions readers ask
What is the defining characteristic of mental phenomena according to Brentano?
He identified intentionality, or the directedness of a mental act toward an object, as the defining feature that separates mental phenomena from physical ones.
Why did Brentano leave the Catholic priesthood?
He withdrew from the priesthood in 1873 due to his opposition to the dogma of papal infallibility.
Achievements
- Notable work: Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint
- Held posts at University of Vienna and University of Würzburg
- Fields: philosophy
