Is there a Yoneda lemma for categories other than Set?

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The Yoneda lemma says (in my understanding) that instead of studying a category directly, you can study that category's relationships between its relationships into Set. Is the function of Set unique here? Or can other categories like Top do something similar? If so, what are some examples? If not, what is unique about Set? Thank you.










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    up vote
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    The Yoneda lemma says (in my understanding) that instead of studying a category directly, you can study that category's relationships between its relationships into Set. Is the function of Set unique here? Or can other categories like Top do something similar? If so, what are some examples? If not, what is unique about Set? Thank you.










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      up vote
      2
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      2
      down vote

      favorite











      The Yoneda lemma says (in my understanding) that instead of studying a category directly, you can study that category's relationships between its relationships into Set. Is the function of Set unique here? Or can other categories like Top do something similar? If so, what are some examples? If not, what is unique about Set? Thank you.










      share|cite|improve this question













      The Yoneda lemma says (in my understanding) that instead of studying a category directly, you can study that category's relationships between its relationships into Set. Is the function of Set unique here? Or can other categories like Top do something similar? If so, what are some examples? If not, what is unique about Set? Thank you.







      category-theory yoneda-lemma






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      asked 1 hour ago









      MalDLittle

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          In the case of enriched categories, there is an enriched version of the Yoneda lemma.






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          • So the category of sets isn't unique, it just happens to be the category that applies to the sort of categories that are first studied when learning category theory?
            – MalDLittle
            1 hour ago






          • 1




            The short answer is that you're right. The longer answer is that the category of sets still holds special importance since when you enrich, you enrich in a category $mathcal V$. That $mathcal V$ is a category whose homs sets are, well, sets. Namely $mathcal V$ is a Set-based category (a category enriched in Set). So, even if you insist of 'eliminating' Set by considering enriched category theory from the get-go, you still have Set right there at the bottom of the pyramid.
            – Ittay Weiss
            35 mins ago


















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          0
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          There are two ways to interpret your question. Identifying the role of Set in the Yoneda lemma as the category where your categories are enriched in reveals that if you consider $mathcal V$-enriched categories, than Set there will change to $mathcal V$ and you get the enriched Yoneda lemma.



          Another way of interpreting the question is whether for ordinary categories (or more generally for categories enriched in a fixed given $mathcal V$, but let's just keep everything simple by considering just ordinary categories) one can replace Set by another category and still make things work nicely. Now, thinking of the Yoneda lemma as turning an abstract category into a category whose objects are sets and whose morphisms are functions, namely as representing an abstract category as a subcategory of something absed on Set (generalising Cayley's representation of an abstract group as a group of permutations) what we are asking is if there is a category $mathscr C ne mathbf Set$ such that any abstract (small) category can be represented as a subcategory of something based on $mathscr C$. (Yes, this is a bit vague.)



          The answer is trivially yes, simply by taking any category that contains $mathbf Set$ as a subcategory (so in particular $mathbf Top$ will work). However, there is more to the Yoneda lemma than just the representation. It is really tightly related to representable functors. So, we are asking not just to represent an abstract category, but to represent it in a very particular way. Adding this condition into the question leads to asking: is the codomain of the Yoneda lemma $mathscr Dto mathbfSet^mathscr D^mathrm op$ unique in some way? The answer is that it is, namely it the cocompletion of $mathscr D$. So, in this wider context, the base category being $mathbf Set$ is forced.






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            2 Answers
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            active

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            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

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            active

            oldest

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            up vote
            4
            down vote













            In the case of enriched categories, there is an enriched version of the Yoneda lemma.






            share|cite|improve this answer




















            • So the category of sets isn't unique, it just happens to be the category that applies to the sort of categories that are first studied when learning category theory?
              – MalDLittle
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              The short answer is that you're right. The longer answer is that the category of sets still holds special importance since when you enrich, you enrich in a category $mathcal V$. That $mathcal V$ is a category whose homs sets are, well, sets. Namely $mathcal V$ is a Set-based category (a category enriched in Set). So, even if you insist of 'eliminating' Set by considering enriched category theory from the get-go, you still have Set right there at the bottom of the pyramid.
              – Ittay Weiss
              35 mins ago















            up vote
            4
            down vote













            In the case of enriched categories, there is an enriched version of the Yoneda lemma.






            share|cite|improve this answer




















            • So the category of sets isn't unique, it just happens to be the category that applies to the sort of categories that are first studied when learning category theory?
              – MalDLittle
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              The short answer is that you're right. The longer answer is that the category of sets still holds special importance since when you enrich, you enrich in a category $mathcal V$. That $mathcal V$ is a category whose homs sets are, well, sets. Namely $mathcal V$ is a Set-based category (a category enriched in Set). So, even if you insist of 'eliminating' Set by considering enriched category theory from the get-go, you still have Set right there at the bottom of the pyramid.
              – Ittay Weiss
              35 mins ago













            up vote
            4
            down vote










            up vote
            4
            down vote









            In the case of enriched categories, there is an enriched version of the Yoneda lemma.






            share|cite|improve this answer












            In the case of enriched categories, there is an enriched version of the Yoneda lemma.







            share|cite|improve this answer












            share|cite|improve this answer



            share|cite|improve this answer










            answered 1 hour ago









            Daniel Robert-Nicoud

            20k33595




            20k33595











            • So the category of sets isn't unique, it just happens to be the category that applies to the sort of categories that are first studied when learning category theory?
              – MalDLittle
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              The short answer is that you're right. The longer answer is that the category of sets still holds special importance since when you enrich, you enrich in a category $mathcal V$. That $mathcal V$ is a category whose homs sets are, well, sets. Namely $mathcal V$ is a Set-based category (a category enriched in Set). So, even if you insist of 'eliminating' Set by considering enriched category theory from the get-go, you still have Set right there at the bottom of the pyramid.
              – Ittay Weiss
              35 mins ago

















            • So the category of sets isn't unique, it just happens to be the category that applies to the sort of categories that are first studied when learning category theory?
              – MalDLittle
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              The short answer is that you're right. The longer answer is that the category of sets still holds special importance since when you enrich, you enrich in a category $mathcal V$. That $mathcal V$ is a category whose homs sets are, well, sets. Namely $mathcal V$ is a Set-based category (a category enriched in Set). So, even if you insist of 'eliminating' Set by considering enriched category theory from the get-go, you still have Set right there at the bottom of the pyramid.
              – Ittay Weiss
              35 mins ago
















            So the category of sets isn't unique, it just happens to be the category that applies to the sort of categories that are first studied when learning category theory?
            – MalDLittle
            1 hour ago




            So the category of sets isn't unique, it just happens to be the category that applies to the sort of categories that are first studied when learning category theory?
            – MalDLittle
            1 hour ago




            1




            1




            The short answer is that you're right. The longer answer is that the category of sets still holds special importance since when you enrich, you enrich in a category $mathcal V$. That $mathcal V$ is a category whose homs sets are, well, sets. Namely $mathcal V$ is a Set-based category (a category enriched in Set). So, even if you insist of 'eliminating' Set by considering enriched category theory from the get-go, you still have Set right there at the bottom of the pyramid.
            – Ittay Weiss
            35 mins ago





            The short answer is that you're right. The longer answer is that the category of sets still holds special importance since when you enrich, you enrich in a category $mathcal V$. That $mathcal V$ is a category whose homs sets are, well, sets. Namely $mathcal V$ is a Set-based category (a category enriched in Set). So, even if you insist of 'eliminating' Set by considering enriched category theory from the get-go, you still have Set right there at the bottom of the pyramid.
            – Ittay Weiss
            35 mins ago











            up vote
            0
            down vote













            There are two ways to interpret your question. Identifying the role of Set in the Yoneda lemma as the category where your categories are enriched in reveals that if you consider $mathcal V$-enriched categories, than Set there will change to $mathcal V$ and you get the enriched Yoneda lemma.



            Another way of interpreting the question is whether for ordinary categories (or more generally for categories enriched in a fixed given $mathcal V$, but let's just keep everything simple by considering just ordinary categories) one can replace Set by another category and still make things work nicely. Now, thinking of the Yoneda lemma as turning an abstract category into a category whose objects are sets and whose morphisms are functions, namely as representing an abstract category as a subcategory of something absed on Set (generalising Cayley's representation of an abstract group as a group of permutations) what we are asking is if there is a category $mathscr C ne mathbf Set$ such that any abstract (small) category can be represented as a subcategory of something based on $mathscr C$. (Yes, this is a bit vague.)



            The answer is trivially yes, simply by taking any category that contains $mathbf Set$ as a subcategory (so in particular $mathbf Top$ will work). However, there is more to the Yoneda lemma than just the representation. It is really tightly related to representable functors. So, we are asking not just to represent an abstract category, but to represent it in a very particular way. Adding this condition into the question leads to asking: is the codomain of the Yoneda lemma $mathscr Dto mathbfSet^mathscr D^mathrm op$ unique in some way? The answer is that it is, namely it the cocompletion of $mathscr D$. So, in this wider context, the base category being $mathbf Set$ is forced.






            share|cite|improve this answer
























              up vote
              0
              down vote













              There are two ways to interpret your question. Identifying the role of Set in the Yoneda lemma as the category where your categories are enriched in reveals that if you consider $mathcal V$-enriched categories, than Set there will change to $mathcal V$ and you get the enriched Yoneda lemma.



              Another way of interpreting the question is whether for ordinary categories (or more generally for categories enriched in a fixed given $mathcal V$, but let's just keep everything simple by considering just ordinary categories) one can replace Set by another category and still make things work nicely. Now, thinking of the Yoneda lemma as turning an abstract category into a category whose objects are sets and whose morphisms are functions, namely as representing an abstract category as a subcategory of something absed on Set (generalising Cayley's representation of an abstract group as a group of permutations) what we are asking is if there is a category $mathscr C ne mathbf Set$ such that any abstract (small) category can be represented as a subcategory of something based on $mathscr C$. (Yes, this is a bit vague.)



              The answer is trivially yes, simply by taking any category that contains $mathbf Set$ as a subcategory (so in particular $mathbf Top$ will work). However, there is more to the Yoneda lemma than just the representation. It is really tightly related to representable functors. So, we are asking not just to represent an abstract category, but to represent it in a very particular way. Adding this condition into the question leads to asking: is the codomain of the Yoneda lemma $mathscr Dto mathbfSet^mathscr D^mathrm op$ unique in some way? The answer is that it is, namely it the cocompletion of $mathscr D$. So, in this wider context, the base category being $mathbf Set$ is forced.






              share|cite|improve this answer






















                up vote
                0
                down vote










                up vote
                0
                down vote









                There are two ways to interpret your question. Identifying the role of Set in the Yoneda lemma as the category where your categories are enriched in reveals that if you consider $mathcal V$-enriched categories, than Set there will change to $mathcal V$ and you get the enriched Yoneda lemma.



                Another way of interpreting the question is whether for ordinary categories (or more generally for categories enriched in a fixed given $mathcal V$, but let's just keep everything simple by considering just ordinary categories) one can replace Set by another category and still make things work nicely. Now, thinking of the Yoneda lemma as turning an abstract category into a category whose objects are sets and whose morphisms are functions, namely as representing an abstract category as a subcategory of something absed on Set (generalising Cayley's representation of an abstract group as a group of permutations) what we are asking is if there is a category $mathscr C ne mathbf Set$ such that any abstract (small) category can be represented as a subcategory of something based on $mathscr C$. (Yes, this is a bit vague.)



                The answer is trivially yes, simply by taking any category that contains $mathbf Set$ as a subcategory (so in particular $mathbf Top$ will work). However, there is more to the Yoneda lemma than just the representation. It is really tightly related to representable functors. So, we are asking not just to represent an abstract category, but to represent it in a very particular way. Adding this condition into the question leads to asking: is the codomain of the Yoneda lemma $mathscr Dto mathbfSet^mathscr D^mathrm op$ unique in some way? The answer is that it is, namely it the cocompletion of $mathscr D$. So, in this wider context, the base category being $mathbf Set$ is forced.






                share|cite|improve this answer












                There are two ways to interpret your question. Identifying the role of Set in the Yoneda lemma as the category where your categories are enriched in reveals that if you consider $mathcal V$-enriched categories, than Set there will change to $mathcal V$ and you get the enriched Yoneda lemma.



                Another way of interpreting the question is whether for ordinary categories (or more generally for categories enriched in a fixed given $mathcal V$, but let's just keep everything simple by considering just ordinary categories) one can replace Set by another category and still make things work nicely. Now, thinking of the Yoneda lemma as turning an abstract category into a category whose objects are sets and whose morphisms are functions, namely as representing an abstract category as a subcategory of something absed on Set (generalising Cayley's representation of an abstract group as a group of permutations) what we are asking is if there is a category $mathscr C ne mathbf Set$ such that any abstract (small) category can be represented as a subcategory of something based on $mathscr C$. (Yes, this is a bit vague.)



                The answer is trivially yes, simply by taking any category that contains $mathbf Set$ as a subcategory (so in particular $mathbf Top$ will work). However, there is more to the Yoneda lemma than just the representation. It is really tightly related to representable functors. So, we are asking not just to represent an abstract category, but to represent it in a very particular way. Adding this condition into the question leads to asking: is the codomain of the Yoneda lemma $mathscr Dto mathbfSet^mathscr D^mathrm op$ unique in some way? The answer is that it is, namely it the cocompletion of $mathscr D$. So, in this wider context, the base category being $mathbf Set$ is forced.







                share|cite|improve this answer












                share|cite|improve this answer



                share|cite|improve this answer










                answered 22 mins ago









                Ittay Weiss

                62.3k699181




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