From Intentionality To Transcendence

The theory of intentionality has developed for ages with evolutive previous study. After it has gone through the transformation of Brentano and become an essential concept in his descriptive psychology, its profounder theoretical value is almost obvious. The interpretation of the theory of intentionality’s profounder theoretical value was completed by Husserl. Through his transformation, the concept of intentionality was changed from a psychological concept into a philosophical one; and it became core content of Husserl’s phenomenology of consciousness. Owing to the vitally important theoretical value in the theory of intentionality of Husserl’s phenomenology of consciousness, it crucially affected Heidegger’s early thoughts. This theory inspired him to expound the fundamental ontology; that means Heidegger not only carried forward the theory of intentionality of Husserl but also criticized it and laid a foundation for it. To highlight the critique and foundation towards the intentionality of consciousness, Heidegger endowed transcendence—another concept occupying an important position in history of philosophy with a new connotation to indicate the essence of Dasein. In this way, Dasein was interacted with "being-in-the-world" and formed his fundamental ontology. Meanwhile, it also means that the completion of Heidegger’s critique and foundation. As an obvious clue running through both the previous study and the whole development of phenomenology of consciousness, the theory of intentionality definitely has a function as a guide for our understanding of the development and the connotation of phenomenology of consciousness. This paper mainly analyses the critique and foundation of Heidegger in the following respects.As the beginning of the main body of this paper, the first chapter introduces the origin and the development of theory of intentionality:this theory’s true origin is not in the ancient Greek philosophy nor the Medieval scholasticism; however, the medieval philosophy has direct influence on Brentano’s thoughts in this respect. The concept of intentionality first appeared in the Medieval scholasticism. It was the transformation of Brentano that made it become an essential philosophical concept possible. Husserl has developed the complete theory of intentionality based on the thoughts of Brentano.The second chapter mainly introduces the theory of intentionality of Husserl. In this chapter, its two modes in phenomenology of consciousness of Husserl—directing mode and construction mode—were simply depicted. Through the description and analysis, we can find that the characteristics and limitations of Husserl’s theory of intentionality, and it laid a solid foundation for analyzing the critique and the foundation of Heidegger.The following chapter (the third chapter) sorts out the theoretical background of Heidegger’s critique and foundation. This paper especially notices the overall differences of philosophy between Husserl and Heidegger and the characteristics and the gist of Heidegger’s thoughts in the early stage. Only on this basis can we further and clearly understand Heidegger’s critique and foundation.After the confirmation of the theoretical background of Heidegger’s critique and foundation, we can directly talk about this paper’s core content—Heidegger’s critique and foundation of the theory of intentionality of Husserl (the fourth chapter). In this respect, the concept—transcendence becomes the core of concern. The use of this concept and the endowed new connotation is an important measure of Heidegger to distinguish from the theory of intentionality of Husserl; moreover, this concept is a major symbolic concept of Heidegger’s fundamental ontology in the early stage. Through the early interpretation of fundamental ontology, Heidegger’s critique and foundation of the theory of intentionality of Husserl can be counted as a true accomplishment.Although we can still criticize Heidegger’s own critique and foundation of the theory of intentionality, but we have to admit that there is high theoretical value in Heidegger’s efforts to lay Husserl’s theory of intentionality on a solider foundation. The pectination and illumination of Heidegger’s critique on Husserl’s theory of intentionality can help us further understand Husserl’s phenomenology of consciousness; moreover, it is also a suitable "Off the Beaten Track"(Holzwege) and a "pathmark"(Wegmarke) for us to echo the thoughts of Heidegger.