Tool and object. A history and philosophy of category theory (Q2508987): Difference between revisions

The main goal of the book under review is to provide a systematic and profound analysis of several important historical and epistemological aspects of category theory. As it is generally known, the basic concepts of what is now called category theory were introduced in 1945 by \textit{S. Eilenberg} and \textit{S. Mac Lane}, in the first place as a fundament for a general theory of natural equivalences in algebraic topology. In the subsequent two decades, category theory underwent a rapid development, thereby growing into a crucial conceptual framework in modern abstract algebra, algebraic geometry, and algebraic topology. Apart from being a toolkit in these areas of contemporary mathematical research, category theory quickly became a rather independent discipline in mathematics, that is, an object of research in its own right, mainly in view of its rigorous foundation with respect to the principles of axiomatic set theory and mathematical logic. The very fact that the historical development of category theory was not only marked by the different mathematical tasks it was supposed to accomplish, in various theories, but also by the challenge it caused to formerly well-established mathematical foundations and epistemological positions, is the central theme of the present book. Also, the unique phenomenon that category theory was ultimately accepted by the majority of mathematicians as a useful and legitimate conceptual innovation, in spite of its chancy incorporation with regard to the foundations of mathematics, is a remarkable fact for which a historical explanation is proposed. In other words, the present book aims to analyze (and to evaluate) the mutual influence of both the philosophical aspects and the historical events in category theory on each other. This is done from a strictly epistemological position rather than from a purely descriptive viewpoint, and this methodological approach not only represents an absolutely novel way of tackling the subject, but also leads to both new aspects never studied before and surprisingly new insights concerning the role of category theory in mathematics. Generally, the philosophical view to category theory developed here is essentially inspired by the pragmatism of \textit{C. S. Peirce} and by \textit{L. Wittgenstein}'s criticism of reductionism, which represents a highly interesting alternative to other, more traditional approaches in philosophy of mathematics like intuitionism, formalism, or platonism. In this vein, the author's philosophical position focusses on the ``use'' made of concepts, instead of formal syntax and semantics, and on the thesis that the way mathematicians work with categories is implicitely based on that philosophical justification of mathematical reasoning. As to the precise contents of the book, the text consists of eight chapters, each of which is divided into several sections and subsections. After a very enlightening introduction of twenty pages to the subject matter of the book, these eight chapters come with the following headlines and contents: Chapter 1 is titled ``Prelude: Poincaré, Wittgenstein, Peirce, and the use of concepts''. Its task is to sketch the author's above-mentioned epistemological postion which, in his opinion, is adequate to understand the philosophy underlying the framework of category theory. Chapters 2--4 give an analysis of the development of category theory in several contexts of application. More precisely, Chapter 2 deals with ``Category theory in algebraic topology'' by giving a historical account of the pioneering works of Eilenberg, Mac Lane, Steenrod, Kan, and others on the functorial aspects of homology theories. Chapter 3 turns to ``Category theory in homological algebra'' by analyzing the propelling contributions of Cartan-Eilenberg, Buchsbaum, Serre, and Grothendieck in module theory, sheaf theory, sheaf cohomology, and in the theory of abelian categories, respectively. In this chapter, the author also discusses the relevant epistemological aspects, especially the question of whether in this context of homological algebra the language of categories and functors evolved into a real tool. Chapter 4 describes the development of category theory in modern algebraic geometry, with a particular emphasis on Grothendieck's conceptual innovations: algebraic schemes, moduli problems and representable functors, Grothendieck topologies, topoi, sites, Weil cohomology, Grothendieck's standard conjectures, motives, and Tannaka categories. Each of the Chapters 2--4 presents in remarkable detail the original mathematical work under analysis, especially the categorical aspects of it. As an overall conclusion, the author shows that category theory is used to ``express'' facts in algebraic topology, to ``deduce'' facts in homological algebra and, in contrast to set theory, to ``construct objects'' in modern algebraic geometry (à la Grothendieck). This comparison demonstrates the different stages of the conceptual developments of category theory over the period from 1945 until 1970. The internal development of category theory as an independent subject is studied in Chapter 5 which is titled ``From tool to object: full-fledged category theory''. Showing how abstract category theory also penetrated other mathematical fields, mainly by first eliminating elements of sets, then by eliminating special categories of sets, and finally by providing general constructions in a categorical setting, a first tentative ``philosophy'' of category theory is derived, basically focussing on the fundamental question of what concepts in category theory are all about. Chapter 7 is devoted to the logical foundations of category theory, that is, to the first attempts to make category theory itself a possible foundation of mathematics. In this context, especially the work of \textit{F. W. Lawvere} (1966) is analyzed, together with the controversial discussions it provoked. Other topics discussed in this chapter include the role of topos theory as a possible alternative to set theory with regard to the foundations of mathematics as well as \textit{J. Bénabou}'s proposal for a rigorous foundation of category theory (1985). The final Chapter 8 presents a tentative philosophical interpretation of the achievements and problems of category theory. Titled ``Pragmatism and category theory'', this chapter discusses -- in view of Chapter 1 and of what has been concluded from the other chapters -- a possible sense in which category theory could be interpreted as a fundamental theory. Drawing the conclusion that the epistemology of pragmatism does work for mathematics, while reductionism does not, the author ends his very profound analysis with the statement that ``category theory manifests the obsoleteness of foundational endeavours of a certain type'' in the philosophical interpretation of mathematics. All together, the present book is a highly novel and important contribution to the history and philosophy of category theory in mathematics. The author has not only made full use of the vast original and secondary literature, but also evaluated several unpublished sources, above all the only recently discovered collection of \textit{S. Eilenberg}'s unpublished writings recorded at Columbia University, New York, as well as numerous personal interviews with first-hand witnesses of the developments in category theory. Moreover, in view of his particular methodological approach by combining historical and philosophical aspects, the author offers a wealth of new theses, arguments, and insights concerning the unique role of category theory in mathematics. The bibliography comprises about 400 references, and the text is virtually bursting of hundreds of original quotations, which increases the great profundity of the author's analysis in addition. No doubt, historians of mathematics, philosophers of mathematics, but also active mathematicians can profit to a large extent from this fine analysis, which certainly will become a standard source for historical and philosophical studies in mathematics.