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by wasabi991011 359 days ago
Do you really need to introduce category theory for that?

Seems like overkill, abstract algebra seems sufficient to categorize both boolean logic and integer operations as having the common structure of a ring.

1 comments

Of course you don't "need" to introduce category theory for that, which is why I saved it for fun at the end. I just think it is neat. It's also one of those bridges to "category theory is simpler than it sounds", which is also why I disagree with it being "overkill" in general in part because that keeps category theory in the "too complex for real needs" box, which I think is the wrong box. Which, case in point:

> […] abstract algebra seems sufficient to categorize both boolean logic and integer operations as having the common structure of a ring.

I don't think Ring Theory is any easier than Category Theory to learn/teach, I rather think that Category Theory is a subset of some of best parts of abstract algebra, especially Group Theory, boiled down to the sufficient parts to describe (among other things) practical function composition tools for computing.