A Survey and Critique of Avicenna's Viewpoint about Intentionality of Sensuous Perception

Intentionality of thought means that thought، really and not fictitiously، is directed towards an object different from itself. Advocates of the theory of intentionality believe that intentionality is the inalienable feature of all humans'' thoughts including sensuous، imaginary; rational perception and even apprehension of his own essence because in their opinions all humans'' thoughts originate from the sensuous perception and sensuous perception is based on intentionality. According to Avicenna sensuous perception has the property of intentionality and is directed towards an accidental object but he does not consider that this property is an inalienable feature of all thoughts. In his opinion thought without intentionality is possible too. In his viewpoint self-consciousness – based on the theory of the man floating in air- is an example of thought that is not dependent upon intentionality but upon an immaterial soul of thinking subject. He holds that not only in apprehension of essence but also in some grades of apprehension of other like intellectual perception and truthful dream، human thought is not depending upon relation to accidental object. In his opinion thought is a mental quality directed towards an object but this aboutness (intentionality) of thought is accidental not inherent. In his view، what is inherent of thought is immateriality not intentionality. Against Avicenna the author of this paper holds that essence of thought is not a negative thing but is the same intentionality. Apprehension of essence is seemingly in conflict with this idea because in the apprehension of essence the knowing subject is the same as the knowing object and the real relation is not established between these two. However with more meditation on the meaning of thought and giving a true interpretation of the quality of the apprehension of essence this contradiction may be removed.