Cotelescopes and approximate lifting properties in shape theory (Q2565091)

In [\textit{F. Cathey}, Strong shape theory, Ph. D. dissertation, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (1979), see also Lect. Notes Math. 870, 215-238 (1981; Zbl 0473.55011)], a certain approach to strong shape theory was developed involving a functor \(S\) from the homotopy category of metrizable compacta to the category of fibrant spaces. In this case, \(\tilde E=S(E)\) is called the fibrant extension of \(E\). The construction of this fibrant extension involved so-called cotelescopes. The authors, in section 2, provide an alternate, more categorical construction of cotelescopes. This is applied in several situations. Among the results obtained are the following: 1. For each shape fibration there exists a fibrant extension which is a Hurewicz fibration; 2. For every shape absolutely soft map, there exists a fibrant extension which is an absolutely soft map [\textit{E. V. Shchepin}, Russ. Math. Surv. 39, No. 5, 251-270 (1984); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 39, No. 5(239), 209-224 (1984; Zbl 0568.57012)]; 3. Any map of compacta whose cotelescope fibrant extension is an absolutely soft map is itself a shape absolutely soft map; 4. Any hereditary shape equivalence of compacta is a shape absolutely soft map.