Skip to main content
edited tags
Link
David White
  • 30.3k
  • 9
  • 154
  • 250
Improved question
Source Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30

Every text book I've ever read about Category Theory gives the definition of natural transformation as a collection of morphisms which make the well known diagrams commute. There is another possible definition of natural transformation, which appears to be a categorification of homotopy:

given two functors $\mathcal F,\mathcal G \colon \mathcal C \to \mathcal D$ a natural transformation is a functor $\varphi \colon \mathcal C \times 2 \to \mathcal D$, where $2$ is the arrow category $0 \to 1$, such that $\varphi(-,0)=\mathcal F$ and $\varphi(-,1)=\mathcal G$.

My question is:

why doesn't anybody use this definition of natural transformation which seems to be more "natural" (at least for me)?

(Edit:) It seems that many people use this definition of natural transformation. This arises the following question:

Is there any introductory textbook (or lecture) on category theory that introduces natural transformation in this "homotopical" way rather then the classical one?

(EditEdit2:) Some days ago I've read a post in nlab about $k$-transfor. In particular I belivehave been interested by the discussion in the said post, because it seems to prove that "The powerthe homotopical definition of natural transformation should be the right one (or at least a question is allslight modification of it). On the ideas or other things you find out trying to answering it",end this question gave to me a lot of ideas, I think I'll trydefinition have always seemed to obtain just one last. Afterbe the various answers and comments I belive it's knowmost natural one, because historically category theory develop in the time to make this lastcontext of algebraic topology, so now I've a new question:

Would it be a good idea presentingDoes anyone know the conceptlogical process that took Mac Lane and Eilenberg to give their (classical) definition of natural transformation?

Here I'm interested in the homotopical waytopological/algebraic motivation that move those great mathematicians to such definition rather then the classicalother one in a introductory textbook to category theory?.

I'd like to see pros and cons.

Every text book I've ever read about Category Theory gives the definition of natural transformation as a collection of morphisms which make the well known diagrams commute. There is another possible definition of natural transformation, which appears to be a categorification of homotopy:

given two functors $\mathcal F,\mathcal G \colon \mathcal C \to \mathcal D$ a natural transformation is a functor $\varphi \colon \mathcal C \times 2 \to \mathcal D$, where $2$ is the arrow category $0 \to 1$, such that $\varphi(-,0)=\mathcal F$ and $\varphi(-,1)=\mathcal G$.

My question is:

why doesn't anybody use this definition of natural transformation which seems to be more "natural" (at least for me)?

(Edit:) It seems that many people use this definition of natural transformation. This arises the following question:

Is there any introductory textbook (or lecture) on category theory that introduces natural transformation in this "homotopical" way rather then the classical one?

(Edit:) I belive that "The power of a question is all the ideas or other things you find out trying to answering it", this question gave to me a lot of ideas, I think I'll try to obtain just one last. After the various answers and comments I belive it's know the time to make this last question:

Would it be a good idea presenting the concept of natural transformation in the homotopical way rather then the classical one in a introductory textbook to category theory?

I'd like to see pros and cons.

Every text book I've ever read about Category Theory gives the definition of natural transformation as a collection of morphisms which make the well known diagrams commute. There is another possible definition of natural transformation, which appears to be a categorification of homotopy:

given two functors $\mathcal F,\mathcal G \colon \mathcal C \to \mathcal D$ a natural transformation is a functor $\varphi \colon \mathcal C \times 2 \to \mathcal D$, where $2$ is the arrow category $0 \to 1$, such that $\varphi(-,0)=\mathcal F$ and $\varphi(-,1)=\mathcal G$.

My question is:

why doesn't anybody use this definition of natural transformation which seems to be more "natural" (at least for me)?

(Edit:) It seems that many people use this definition of natural transformation. This arises the following question:

Is there any introductory textbook (or lecture) on category theory that introduces natural transformation in this "homotopical" way rather then the classical one?

(Edit2:) Some days ago I've read a post in nlab about $k$-transfor. In particular I have been interested by the discussion in the said post, because it seems to prove that the homotopical definition of natural transformation should be the right one (or at least a slight modification of it). On the other end this definition have always seemed to be the most natural one, because historically category theory develop in the context of algebraic topology, so now I've a new question:

Does anyone know the logical process that took Mac Lane and Eilenberg to give their (classical) definition of natural transformation?

Here I'm interested in the topological/algebraic motivation that move those great mathematicians to such definition rather the other one.

corrected last question
Source Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30

Every text book I've ever read about Category Theory gives the definition of natural transformation as a collection of morphisms which make the well known diagrams commute. There is another possible definition of natural transformation, which appears to be a categorification of homotopy:

given two functors $\mathcal F,\mathcal G \colon \mathcal C \to \mathcal D$ a natural transformation is a functor $\varphi \colon \mathcal C \times 2 \to \mathcal D$, where $2$ is the arrow category $0 \to 1$, such that $\varphi(-,0)=\mathcal F$ and $\varphi(-,1)=\mathcal G$.

My question is:

why doesn't anybody use this definition of natural transformation which seems to be more "natural" (at least for me)?

(Edit:) It seems that many people use this definition of natural transformation. This arises the following question:

Is there any introductory textbook (or lecture) on category theory that introduces natural transformation in this "homotopical" way rather then the classical one?

(Edit:) I belive that "The power of a question is all the ideas or other things you find out trying to answering it", this question gave to me a lot of ideas, I think I'll try to obtain just one last. After the various answers and comments I belive it's know the time to make this last question:

Would it be a good idea presenting the concept of natural transformation in the homotopical way rather then the classical one in a introductory textbook to category theory?

I'd like to see pros and cons.

Every text book I've ever read about Category Theory gives the definition of natural transformation as a collection of morphisms which make the well known diagrams commute. There is another possible definition of natural transformation, which appears to be a categorification of homotopy:

given two functors $\mathcal F,\mathcal G \colon \mathcal C \to \mathcal D$ a natural transformation is a functor $\varphi \colon \mathcal C \times 2 \to \mathcal D$, where $2$ is the arrow category $0 \to 1$, such that $\varphi(-,0)=\mathcal F$ and $\varphi(-,1)=\mathcal G$.

My question is:

why doesn't anybody use this definition of natural transformation which seems to be more "natural" (at least for me)?

(Edit:) It seems that many people use this definition of natural transformation. This arises the following question:

Is there any introductory textbook (or lecture) on category theory that introduces natural transformation in this "homotopical" way rather then the classical one?

Every text book I've ever read about Category Theory gives the definition of natural transformation as a collection of morphisms which make the well known diagrams commute. There is another possible definition of natural transformation, which appears to be a categorification of homotopy:

given two functors $\mathcal F,\mathcal G \colon \mathcal C \to \mathcal D$ a natural transformation is a functor $\varphi \colon \mathcal C \times 2 \to \mathcal D$, where $2$ is the arrow category $0 \to 1$, such that $\varphi(-,0)=\mathcal F$ and $\varphi(-,1)=\mathcal G$.

My question is:

why doesn't anybody use this definition of natural transformation which seems to be more "natural" (at least for me)?

(Edit:) It seems that many people use this definition of natural transformation. This arises the following question:

Is there any introductory textbook (or lecture) on category theory that introduces natural transformation in this "homotopical" way rather then the classical one?

(Edit:) I belive that "The power of a question is all the ideas or other things you find out trying to answering it", this question gave to me a lot of ideas, I think I'll try to obtain just one last. After the various answers and comments I belive it's know the time to make this last question:

Would it be a good idea presenting the concept of natural transformation in the homotopical way rather then the classical one in a introductory textbook to category theory?

I'd like to see pros and cons.

added 4 characters in body
Source Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30
Loading
clarified question
Source Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30
Loading
added a tag
Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30
Loading
added a tag
Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30
Loading
added new question, added a tag for reference request
Source Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30
Loading
corrected title
Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30
Loading
edited title
Link
Martin Brandenburg
  • 63.1k
  • 13
  • 207
  • 424
Loading
Source Link
Giorgio Mossa
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 29
  • 30
Loading