Intentionality — The fundamental property of consciousness of being directed toward objects. Coined by Brentano and developed by Husserl: every mental act (perception, desire, imagination, memory) is always an act of or about something. There is no contentless consciousness. Intentionality is the mark of the mental and the starting point of phenomenological analysis. Heidegger transforms it: human Dasein is always already “in the world,” not enclosed in a subjective sphere needing a “bridge” to objects.
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