Category theory
by Steve Awodey · first published 2006
78% recommend22% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Readable, beginner-friendly introduction to category theory that needs little prior math, so it suits computer scientists and programmers; it also covers monads near the end.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Containing example exercises, this reference to category theory is suitable for researchers and graduates in philosophy mathematics, and computer science. With definitions of concepts and proofs of propositions and theorems, the text makes the ideas of this topic understandable to the broad readership.
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Steve Awodey's Category Theory, hands down. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2047855.Category_Theory It's a mathematics book written by a philosophy professor that is extremely readable for computer scientists. Very CMU, much…
on “Emily Riehl is rewriting the foundations of higher category theory” ↗Also checkout Steve Awodey's Category Theory book. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/category-theory-9780... On a personal note, I remember Awodey from my Senior Thesis seminar. He was very amicable and affable. During my presentation, I…
on “Physics, Topology, Logic and Computation: A Rosetta Stone (2009) [pdf]” ↗Steve Awodey's "Category Theory" is an excellent book to learn the basics, and there are no requirements to know beforehand topology or higher abstract algebra in order to follow it.
on “Defunctionalization and Freyd’s Theorem” ↗If you have time, Steve Awodey's book "Category Theory" is both beginner-friendly and helpful. You can get a PDF of an early pre-print online. He covers monads towards the end. If you are an experienced Haskell programmer, I've seen a few "Category Theory…
on “Monads Made Difficult” ↗…situation. My math background consists of the required courses for a BA in CS. I tried to start with Mac Lane's "Categories for the Working Mathematician", but it was too dense for me. I switched to Awodey's "Category Theory" and that has been easier to follow. Wikipedia, Youtube, and other online sources have been very helpful. It's been a very rewarding experience so far.
on “Haskell for Web Developers” ↗This is way too much. You're better of grabbing "Category Theory (Oxford Logic Guides)" by Steve Awodey and then augmenting it as necessary.
on “Category Theory Reading Lists” ↗If you want a description of the monad laws in Haskell terms you can Google and find like 80 expositions on the topic of various depths. If you want a mathematical exposition. "Category Theory" by Awodey page 265 is a concise description.
on “Effectful Haskell: IO, Monads, Functors” ↗If I remember correctly, Awodey[0] has exercises like that. [0] http://www.amazon.com/Category-Theory-Oxford-Logic-Guides/dp...
on “Introduction to Category Theory” ↗I’ve been slowly reading through Steve Awodey's Category Theory, but as someone with not much math background it’s a bit dense. He does have some nice lectures online which help, but I’m not sure how far my understanding would have stretched without reading Bartosz…
on “An invitation to category theory” ↗