My hypothesis is that the mind is not actually private. Future technology may allow us to experience the minds of others. Once we understand consciousness and our sense of self in the right way, the possibility of “mind-melding”, the ability for one person to directly experience the mind of another, opens up. I present evidence to consider this might be possible. William Hirstein is a professor of philosophy at Elmhurst University, near Chicago, Ill. His area of focus is the human mind, and the many riddles about it that still need solving, including the traditional mind-body problem.

During his education, Hirstein was able to work closely with several eminent philosophers and scientists, including John Searle, Patricia Churchland, and V. S. Ramachandran.

Hirsein is the author of several books, including Brain Fiction (MIT, 2005) and Mindmelding (Oxford, 2012), from which his talk is taken. Most recently, working with his colleagues here at Elmhurst, he published Responsible Brains (MIT, 2018). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at

source