Theoretical Computer Science for the Working Category Theorist.
Cambridge University Press. 2022
I have been wanting to dip my toe in the sea of category theory for a while now, but have not found a suitable entry point. The books written for mathematicians are impenetrable. Those written for computer scientists lose me in the detail. When I came across this one, a book about computer science, written for category theorists, I was intrigued. I was reminded of a colleague of mine who collected foreign languages: he would learn them by reading a text he knew well in the language he wished to learn (memory offers up the thought it was Macbeth, but it may have been a different Shakespeare play). Maybe I could similarly learn the foreign language of category theory by reading about a topic I know, when written in that language? Especially since the book is a brisk 130 pages.
So, I am definitely not the target audience (being a computer scientist rather than a category theorist). And yet I feel I have learned more about category theory from this book than from any of the others I have tried. Not enough to be fluent, but enough that I can see what the concepts are, how they are put together, and how they can help illuminate a subject.
This was initially available as a PDF from the publishers site. I downloaded, and started active reading, which involved annotating the PDF with questions, thoughts, and ideas. (I come from a generation where annotating an actual physical book is Not Done.) I did skim a few of the more technical parts, but did read the whole thing. I then bought a hard copy.
As well as having a better understanding of Category Theory, I have a new perspective on theoretical computer science: the subset of functions that comprise computable functions is somewhat ugly to formalise.
This is the first in a series of Cambridge Elements: shortish works on Applied Category Theory. This one is highly recommended: I will be looking out for the others.
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