Re:Category Theory, Syntactically (2016)
by lmm on Thursday April 27, 2017 @06:28AM
(#14210457)
I'd recommend learning a couple of the fields that category theory abstracts over first. It's cool as a generalisation over topology and set theory, for example (and shows you how some theorems from both are "really" the same theorem), but that only works if you know topology and set theory.
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Re:Category Theory, Syntactically (2016)
by johncolanduoni on Thursday April 27, 2017 @07:30AM
(#14210701)
I think this is the fundamental roadblock to teaching category theory to people who don't have a relatively diverse math background. If you have one, the early exposition of category theory is a constant stream of formalizing connections that already had a nebulous version in your head (e.g. products, coproducts, kernels, etc.). If not, you're robbed of any kind of a-ha! moment, and the motivation is unclear at best.