In his 2012 book, Mindmelding: Consciousness, Neuroscience, and the Mind's Privacy, Hirstein argues that a significant block to solving the mind–body problem can be removed if we allow that it is possible for one person to directly experience the conscious mind of another. The vast majority of philosophers and scientists writing about consciousness believe that this is impossible, but this would mean that conscious brain states are different from all other physical states, which can be known about by multiple persons.
Hirstein's 2012 book, Mindmelding: Consciousness, Neuroscience, and the Mind's Privacy, asserts that a significant hurdle to resolving the mind–body problem can be overcome if we permit that it is feasible for one person to directly experience another person's conscious mind. The majority of philosophers and scientists discussing consciousness concur that this is unattainable, but this would mean that conscious brain states diverge from all other physical states, which can be comprehended by multiple people.