To jump on Kevin's earlier "Peirce bandwagon" (also learned from Juliana Chow) the search for mutual connection and understanding reminds me of this concept that Peirce calls the "commens" or the "commind." Essentially, there are three parts necessary for "signifying" something. You need an object, a sign, and an interpretant for both. Now, if the interpretant wishes to share the meaning of the sign and object with another interpretant, they must reach a level of shared context/culture/consciousness that Peirce calls the "commens." Basically it seems like Locke would agree with the theoretical model that Peirce laid out.