THE RESIGNIFICATION OF INTENT THROUGH THE SIGNIFICATIVE THEORY OF ACTION AND THE PHILOSOPHICAL CONTRIBUTION OF LANGUAGE
Abstract
The article proposes a redefinition of the concept of intent (dolo) in Criminal Law, moving away from traditional ontological views that treat it as an accessible psychological reality and toward a normative and communicative approach. Based on Tomás Salvador Vives Antón’s theory of meaningful action and the language philosophy of Wittgenstein and Habermas, intent is interpreted as a legal attribution grounded in external indicators and communicative meaning. The text critiques the inadequacy of classical theories in supporting judicial decisions and advocates for an argumentative logic that respects fundamental rights, proposing a fairer and more humanitarian criminal attribution model focused on objective circumstances and the agent’s expressed intention.