Addition of algebra endomorphisms (Q1175748)

``In this work, we show that the old world of ring theory strongly bids its admirers and serious students to take a rigorous adventure into the world of near-rings. As a result, one sees that the ideas and structure of each world provide insight and influence upon the other.'' The author achieves this goal in a provocative article in which the path stems from ring theory rather than group theory. Let \(A(R)\) denote the category whose objects are the commutative \(R\)-algebras with identity and \(\text{Hom}_ R(A,B)\) denote the identity preserving \(R\)-algebra homomorphisms for the \(R\)-algebras \(A\) and \(B\). The goal is to show that for `special' \(R\)-algebras \(F\) of \(A(R)\), it is possible to define an additive operation + on \(\text{Hom}_ R(F,A)\) that leads to a near-ring \((\text{Hom}_ R(F,F),+,\circ)\). The additive operations that evolve are natural generalizations of the addition of homomorphisms of \(R\)-modules. Several types of these `special' \(R\)-algebras are introduced and then combined to obtain additional `special' \(R\)-algebras. Among these are the \(R\)-algebras of polynomials and Laurent polynomials, and the group algebra of an abelian group. These are the cogroup objects in the category \(A(R)\). In closing, the author highlights this unification.