When people talk about abstract topics, they often use linguistic images. Such metaphors make complex content easier to understand and provide clues about how a topic is perceived. The next Public Talk of the Transregio "Constructing Explainability" (TRR 318) on Wednesday, February 26, will focus on metaphors for explaining. Professor Ingrid Scharlau heads the working group "Cognitive Psychology and Psychology Didactics" at the Paderborn University and will explain in the online lecture what needs to be considered when using metaphors in explanations and which metaphors correspond to the TRR 318 understanding of explaining. In TRR 318, researchers from the Paderborn and Bielefeld Universities work together on an interdisciplinary basis to investigate the principles, mechanisms, and social practices of explanation. The results will be considered in the design of AI systems and will contribute to making AI understandable. The lecture will take place from 5 to 6 pm via Zoom. You can join the public talk via the following link: https://uni-paderborn-de.zoom.us/j/92376521281?pwd=ZWkvckQ3THhLejJ0K1hzSGlZZUQvdz09#success
From couple dance to puzzles: metaphors to explain
Every word that is not used in its literal meaning is a metaphor. "Metaphors are not just striking or beautiful linguistic images. Metaphors are everywhere," explains Ingrid Scharlau. "They show how we think about something and influence our attitude towards it. As leader of Project C04 "Metaphors as an explanation tool" in TRR 318, she is investigating how metaphors emphasize certain aspects and obscure others. While this can help make a topic more understandable, it also carries risks - for example, when metaphors lead to one-sided views, as in the discourse on climate change. Using metaphors more consciously sharpens our understanding of how people think about topics and what values and norms they adopt.
In her lecture, Ingrid Scharlau uses concrete examples to show how metaphors shape our communication. She then presents various metaphors for explaining and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. What does the couple dance emphasize as a metaphor for explaining? What challenges does it pose? And how do images such as constructing or puzzling fit in? "The choice of metaphor influences the way we understand explanations, and thus presumably the approaches we take in developing AI systems," says Ingrid Scharlau.
At a glance
Lecture "How Metaphors Bring Us Closer to Explanation"
Professor Ingrid Scharlau
February 26, 2025, 5 to 6 p.m., Zoom