Intention
An
agent's
intention in performing an
action is their specific
purpose in doing so, the
end or
goal they aim at, or
intend to accomplish. Whether an action is
successful or unsuccessful depends at least on whether the intended result was brought about. Other consequences of someone's acting are called
unintentional. Intentional behavior can also be just thoughtful and deliberate goal-directedness.
Legal use
In the
criminal law,
intention is one of the three general classes of
mens rea or "guilty mind" which, in addition to the required
actus reus or guilty act", must be proved to establish liability for the standard criminal offence. Exceptionally, an intention to commit a crime on its own may be a crime: see
child grooming. For a country-specific discussion, see
Intention in English lawRelated terms
* In the
philosophy of mind,
intentionality is the property of being "about" something else, or to have some subject matter, in a certain way. Many states of mind, such as
thinking about the pyramids, are characteristically
about things (in this case the pyramids). Other things, such as words and paintings, can also have kinds of intentionality. Rocks and tables, in general, do not have intentional states.
* An
intension (with an
s, but easily mistaken for
intention with a
t) is an aspect of the meaning of an expression. It is meant to contrast with
extension.
References
*
G. E. M. Anscombe,
Intention*
Donald Davidson,
Essays on Actions and Events
