conclusion and vice-versa. This argument, therefore, is faulted by circular reasoning because one aspect cannot be discussed without the other. Neither the premise nor the conclusion can stand alone without the other. Therefore, the overall argument is shown to be invalid. Soundness, however, also requires that the premises of the argument be true. While the second premise is generally taken as truth since science is self-described as controlling and understanding its subjects, the first premise is untrue because it does not take into consideration aspects of the person and the mind which cannot be explained. These aspects, which are used to describe the mental, include qualia, content, and self-knowledge. Qualia, or "raw feelings" refers to sensations and feelings experienced by the person. For example, when a person says "I feel sick to my stomach" they are referring to the sensation of nausea that overtakes their body, a sensation of which they are mentally aware. Science can explain the chemicals released in the stomach and the traveling of neurons from the stomach to the brain signaling the "upset stomach," but it can't fully account for or explain the feeling the individual is experiencing. That "feeling" causes doubt that makes it difficult to believe that the mind is subject to understanding and control by science.Content, or intentional direction, refers to the "about-ness" or "of-ness" of our thoughts and our mental states. This would imply that certain "semantic properties," such as carrying beliefs, understanding symbols, and reflecting personal predicates such as honesty, are involved in thought processes (Fodor 37). For example, when an individual says, "That shirt is a nice shade of red," he or she is not referring to the wavelengths of light being emitted from the fabric but rather to the final color that they see. Perhaps, that person associates the color with certain feelings or memories. Red may remind h...
