esplicitate

Esplicitate is a neologism used to describe the act or process of rendering implicit content explicit through explanation, specification, or illumination. It typically refers to the deliberate clarification of tacit assumptions, hidden premises, or unstated values in texts, arguments, designs, or analyses. The term is formed from explicit and the suffix -ate, used to coin verbs in English; it echoes the common linguistic pattern of turning nouns or adjectives into verbs to describe an action.

In practice, esplicitation involves making context, criteria, and rationale explicit. In philosophy and rhetoric, it means spelling out presuppositions that underlie an argument. In information design and user experience, it refers to documenting implicit user needs, constraints, or workflows to improve transparency and reproducibility. In data science, esplicitating a model entails stating the training data assumptions, feature choices, and potential biases clearly.

Critics warn that esplicitating too much can clutter communication or reveal sensitive assumptions; supporters argue it enhances accountability and replicability. The concept aligns with explication, explicitation in literary analysis, and the broader goal of making tacit knowledge accessible.

See also: explicit, explication, explicitation, tacit knowledge, transparency.

References: this term is a neologism with usage limited to theoretical discussions and is not tied to a single source.