The top view looks at the top of the objet from the top of the object, the front view looks at the front of the objet from the front of the object. All seems logical.
So why does the left-side view looks at the right of the object from the right of the object?
EDIT:
I'm talking about first angle projection. I'm not entirely sure but I think I doesn't change anyway with third angle projection.
For those who say it doesn't. It's in the words: yes, for the left-side view, the observer looks towards the left. But the side that he sees if he looks towards the left is the right-side of the object.
If we were following the same logic, front view would be the back-side of the object because the observer would be looking towards the front. But it isn't: for the front view, the observer looks towards the back.
The naming isn't consistent. Either we name the view after the direction we are looking towards, or after the side of the object that we see.
The position of the plane of projection doesn't change anything, it just changes were we draw it on the paper when we unfold the view.