BACKGROUND AND ORIENTATION OF BRENTANO’S THOUGHT

Although Brentano broke with organized religion in the late 1870s, he remained a traditional theist all his life and was still writing (by dictation) on subjects in natural theology in 1917. His interests connected with this topic ranged from Darwin's theory of natural selection and Laplace's theory of probability to Comte's critique of causal knowledge and Cuvier's zoology. At every turn he showed himself to be conversant with scientific and philosophical developments of his day, as well as with relevant ancient and medieval philosophical speculations. Brentano's respect for the natural sciences and for the history of philosophy is nowhere more evident than in his discussions of the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. These themes were dear to his heart, and he championed the traditional view not only that they are accessible to philosophy but that their discussion constitutes philosophy's highest achievement.