---
_id: '59839'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'In many scientific approaches, especially in those that try to foster explainability
    of Artificial Intelligences, a narrow conception of explaining prevails. This
    narrow conception implies that explaining is a one-directional action in which
    knowledge is transferred from the explainer to an addressee. By studying the amount
    of agency in metaphors for explaining in scientific texts, we want to find out
    – or at least to contribute a partial answer to the question – why this narrow
    conception is so dominant. For our analysis, we use a linguistic conception of
    agency, transitivity. This concept allows to specify the degree of agency or effectiveness
    of the action in a verbalised event. It is defined by several component parts.
    We detail and discuss both the parameters of and global transitivity. Overall,
    transitivity of explaining metaphors has a rather common pattern across metaphors.
    Agency is not high and reduced in characteristic aspects: The metaphors imply
    that the object of explaining is static, i.e., is not changed within the explanation,
    and that explaining is the activity of one person only. This pattern may account
    for the narrow conception of explaining. It contrasts strongly with current co-constructive
    or sociotechnical approaches to explainability.'
author:
- first_name: Ingrid
  full_name: Scharlau, Ingrid
  id: '451'
  last_name: Scharlau
  orcid: 0000-0003-2364-9489
- first_name: Katharina J.
  full_name: Rohlfing, Katharina J.
  id: '50352'
  last_name: Rohlfing
  orcid: 0000-0002-5676-8233
citation:
  ama: 'Scharlau I, Rohlfing KJ. Agency in metaphors of explaining: An analysis of
    scientific texts. Published online 2025.'
  apa: 'Scharlau, I., &#38; Rohlfing, K. J. (2025). <i>Agency in metaphors of explaining:
    An analysis of scientific texts</i>. Center for Open Science.'
  bibtex: '@article{Scharlau_Rohlfing_2025, title={Agency in metaphors of explaining:
    An analysis of scientific texts}, publisher={Center for Open Science}, author={Scharlau,
    Ingrid and Rohlfing, Katharina J.}, year={2025} }'
  chicago: 'Scharlau, Ingrid, and Katharina J. Rohlfing. “Agency in Metaphors of Explaining:
    An Analysis of Scientific Texts.” Center for Open Science, 2025.'
  ieee: 'I. Scharlau and K. J. Rohlfing, “Agency in metaphors of explaining: An analysis
    of scientific texts.” Center for Open Science, 2025.'
  mla: 'Scharlau, Ingrid, and Katharina J. Rohlfing. <i>Agency in Metaphors of Explaining:
    An Analysis of Scientific Texts</i>. Center for Open Science, 2025.'
  short: I. Scharlau, K.J. Rohlfing, (2025).
date_created: 2025-05-07T11:00:09Z
date_updated: 2025-05-07T11:09:37Z
department:
- _id: '424'
- _id: '749'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- url: https://osf.io/preprints/osf/rwh9b_v1
project:
- _id: '127'
  name: 'TRR 318 - C4: TRR 318 - Subproject C4 - Metaphern als Werkzeug des Erklärens'
publication_status: published
publisher: Center for Open Science
status: public
title: 'Agency in metaphors of explaining: An analysis of scientific texts'
type: preprint
user_id: '451'
year: '2025'
...