Categorical notions of fibration

Fibrations over a category $B$, introduced to category theory by Grothendieck, encode pseudo-functors $B^{op} \rightsquigarrow {\bf Cat}$, while the special case of discrete fibrations encode presheaves $B^{op} \to {\bf Set}$. A two-sided discrete variation encodes functors $B^{op} \times A \to {\bf Set}$, which are also known as profunctors from $A$ to $B$. By work of Street, all of these fibration notions can be defined internally to an arbitrary 2-category or bicategory. While the two-sided discrete fibrations model profunctors internally to ${\bf Cat}$, unexpectedly, the dual two-sided codiscrete cofibrations are necessary to model $\cal V$-profunctors internally to $\cal V$-$\bf Cat$.Comment: These notes were initially written by the second-named author to accompany a talk given in the Algebraic Topology and Category Theory Proseminar in the fall of 2010 at the University of Chicago. A few years later, the now first-named author joined to expand and improve in minor ways the exposition. To appear on "Expositiones Mathematicae

t-structures are normal torsion theories

We characterize $t$-structures in stable $\infty$-categories as suitable quasicategorical factorization systems. More precisely we show that a $t$-structure $\mathfrak{t}$ on a stable $\infty$-category $\mathbf{C}$ is equivalent to a normal torsion theory $\mathbb{F}$ on $\mathbf{C}$, i.e. to a factorization system $\mathbb{F}=(\mathcal{E},\mathcal{M})$ where both classes satisfy the 3-for-2 cancellation property, and a certain compatibility with pullbacks/pushouts.Comment: Minor typographical corrections from v1; 25 pages; to appear in "Applied Categorical Structures

Coend calculus

The book formerly known as "This is the (co)end, my only (co)friend".Comment: This is the version ready for submissio

Categorical Ontology I - Existence

The present paper is the first piece of a series whose aim is to develop an approach to ontology and metaontology through category theory. We exploit the theory of elementary toposes to claim that a satisfying ``theory of existence'', and more at large ontology itself, can both be obtained through category theory. In this perspective, an ontology is a mathematical object: it is a category, the universe of discourse in which our mathematics (intended at large, as a theory of knowledge) can be deployed. The internal language that all categories possess prescribes the modes of existence for the objects of a fixed ontology/category. This approach resembles, but is more general than, fuzzy logics, as most choices of \clE and thus of \Omega_\clE yield nonclassical, many-valued logics. Framed this way, ontology suddenly becomes more mathematical: a solid corpus of techniques can be used to backup philosophical intuition with a useful, modular language, suitable for a practical foundation. As both a test-bench for our theory, and a literary divertissement, we propose a possible category-theoretic solution of Borges' famous paradoxes of Tlön's ``nine copper coins'', and of other seemingly paradoxical construction in his literary work. We then delve into the topic with some vistas on our future works