Re: [Caml-list] Categories for types

["Pierre-Evariste Dagand" <pedagand@gmail.com>]

>  Maybe someone can also suggests other readings to me.

/!\ Disclaimer /!\

I'm not a category theory guru, it just happened that I had one
lecture on that topic, I'm still trying to understand that field. The
following references come from my teacher.

Feel free to comment this choice / to comment over my comments, I am
eager to learn more about this topic.



This book is a "classic", targeting the use of category theory for
programming languages :

Basic Category Theory for Computer Scientists, Benjamin C. Pierce

It's "understandable", i.e: to be read with a pen and a paper. That's
not a thriller...

Then comes the Crole, Categories for Types. Quite hard to grasp but
hey... that's category theory... Spoiler : at the end, the
hyper-doctrine classify the \omega \lambda theory, I look forward
Season 2 to know how she reacts.

Less computer science oriented, you have :

Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories, Lawvere & Schanuel

This one is very pedestrian, it starts with stones, Anna, Joe and
Richard to end with "higher universal mapping properties". I find it
quite good at developping some intuitions of what all these
thingy-morphisms are, among other thingysm.

On the other hand, you have the H-Bomb :

Categories for the Working Mathematician, Mac Lane

Probably a very good book. But I can't comment it : as soon as I open
it, read a line, I fall asleep. It's a very dense book.

I have also heard a good review of the following :

Category Theory (Oxford Logic Guides),  Steve Awodey

As an intermediate between Mac Lane and Pierce.



Good luck and don't forget to buy a lot of coffee,


-- 
Pierre-Evariste Dagand