The Illustrated Guide to Criminal Law
Chapter 9: At Least You Tried
Page 17: Attempt is Intentional

Note that this continuum is only measuring the actus reus. That’s because for ALL attempts, the necessary mens rea is the same:

INTENT.

Average Joe as a noir detective

AVERAGE JOE

That’s pretty obvious, if you think about it.

“Attempt” sort of means “trying,” doesn’t it?

And if it’s not intentional, you’re not trying!

Now the closer the line is drawn to the “idea” end of the spectrum, the more likely it is to cause some unfair results.