Thinking, then, is a kind of download of exchanges with other people. And of course the process can happen in reverse, when an internal exchange becomes the template for an interaction. The essential point is that there is an ongoing interaction between the interpersonal (the self and the other) and the intrapersonal (within the self).

We are defining dialogue as a particular type of conversation in which we choose to suspend our strongly held views in service of exploring new possibilities. Few people engage in dialogue at work.

Both animating conflict and absorbing conversation draw on the same two elements: a shared framework to provide common ground, and sufficient difference to keep things novel and surprising.

whether it was important to understand the internal mental structure of the individual.

So often, we assume that real thinking—serious thinking—is done alone, bent over a book or a notepad. But in fact, humans think best when they are interacting with others. Social activities like debating, storytelling, and teaching activate mental processes that remain