In ordinary language, attention and intention are often used interchangeably. One “pays attention” to something, one “intends” to observe. This semantic confusion covers a functional confusion that generates systematic errors in practice.
Attention is oriented toward a content. It turns toward something — a sensation, a thought, a state. It is a vector of perception. Intention, on the other hand, is oriented toward a result. It aims at something — a state to be reached, an observation to be carried out. It is a vector of will.
Why the confusion is costly
When the two are confused, attention is directed toward a content while there is an implicit intention about what that content should be or produce. The observation is no longer neutral — it is oriented by expectation. The result is not an observation but a confirmation of what one was seeking.
The practical distinction: attention can be directed without any particular intention about the result. That is the condition of neutral observation. Intention can exist at the level of practice (“I sit down to observe”) without contaminating the content of observation (“I observe what is there, without wanting it to be otherwise”).
Establishing this distinction in daily practice substantially modifies the quality of the observations gathered. This is not an academic refinement. It is a basic condition of methodological reliability.