Consider category of vector spaces. Consider functors from it to itself. They actually form an algebra - since vector spaces can be added and tensor multiplied.
Question Is there co-product on this algebra ? If yes, how to construct/motivate/... it ? If yes can it be explained from categorical point of view ? Can it be generalized to other categories ?
I guess the answer is YES. The reason is the following - as far as I understand algebra of endo-functors of Vect is isomorphic to the algebra of symmetric functions.
[EDIT] this is wrong (Thanks to Martin). Automorphism $C$ of any object $V$ gives end-functor twisting morphisms by $C$ and/or $C^{-1}$ ( i.e. $Mor(V,A)$ twisted by $C$ , $Mor(A,V)$ twisted by $C^{-1}$, hence $Mor(V,V)$ twisted by $C ...C^{-1}$).
So Schur functors are NOT all end-functors, so probably the question should be revised, how to characterize Schur functors among all functors and how to define co-product for them. [End EDIT]
See e.g. third paragraph in Qiaochu Yuan answer here:
Categorification and Schur functors
Remark: Schur functors corresponds to Schur functions.
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On the other hand there is co-multiplication on the algebra of symmetric functions
Symmetric polynoms are Hopf algebra ? What for one needs co-product ?
So since two algebras are isomorphic means both of them are co-algebras.
In the question about co-product on symmetric function algebra I got a lots of beautiful answers. However to my taste all of them somewhat tricks - it is not so clear (for me) why this cosntruction is somewhat natural. So may be categorical point of view may clarify.
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Prerequisite
Operations of functors are defined as follows: take F,G: Vect-> Vect we want to multiply them, i.e. to define new functor $FG$, it is defined on objects as follows:
$FG: V-> F(V)\otimes G(V)$,
and on morphisms it is defined respectively $\phi: V->W$,
$FG(\phi): F(V)\otimes G(V) \to F(W)\otimes G(W)$
$FG(\phi)= F(\phi) \otimes G(\phi)$.
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absolutely the same with summation - we should substitute tensor product by the direct sum.
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Exercise: functors form an associative algebra with repsect to these operations.
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PS
Answering comments by Martin and Qiaochu. I would prefer to call by "Vect" what they (and may be everybody) call "skeleton of Vect". i.e. it is category where for each natural n there is only one object, and tensor product C^nC^m = C^nm just equal without any isomorphisms. This well-defined category and let me work with it.