This witty cartoon illustrates something very important. When we say something to someone do we know if they understood? Or if they say something to us do we understand?
I am sure with just a little thought we can come up eith examples from our daily life. “Oh I didn’t mean that”. “Sorry, I mistook what you meant”.
Often it is relatively benign. Sometimes it can be profound even lethal.
We make a great many assumptions based on what people say. Normally these assumptions are accurate or at least accurate enough. But what happens if they are not?
A visceral example would be the Confidence Trickster. They will say something in order to fool you into thinking something different. If they gain your trust they can make any claim and you will tend to accept it.
Scepticism is about questioning everything. Even things which you believe and agree with. That is the only way you can allow your opinion to change if it is wrong.
And it is your defence against being misled and taken for a ride.
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