ONT Category Theory
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CAT. Discussion Note 1
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I have tried to get through the IFF proposal several times now,
and even though I have a basic acquaintance with category theory
as used in math and computer science, it's been pretty rough going.
I thought of trying to start an online review of this material, but
second thought tells me that it won't be possible for us to evaluate
this work unless we sort it out by layers of complexity and usability.
Third thought tells me that we probably can't do a good job of this
without doing a bit of spadework in category theory first. So, in
support of all of these aims, I will start running an introduction
to category theory on the generic ontology list. In order to stick
with an authoritative standard text, I will use selected excerpts from
Mac Lane's "Categories for the Working Mathematician", which is a book
that everybody should have, mathematically employed or not. We will be
accomplishing a lot if we can even get through the first 30 pages or so.
I will also run a separate discussion thread, in or out of the main SUO
group, as the need arises, in which I will try to explain in plainer
language the use and the significance of these basic formal tools.
I am hoping that the IFF proposers will try to relate their ideas
to this basic groundwork whenever it seems appropriate.
Jon Awbrey
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