It is hard enough for us to understand the content of our own thoughts, but understanding another person’s requires mastering a neocortex different from our own. Of course we don’t yet have access to someone else’s neocortex; we need instead to rely on her attempts to express her thoughts into language (as well as other means such as gestures). People’s incomplete ability to accomplish these communication tasks adds another layer of complexity—it is no wonder that we misunderstand one another as much as we do.
