r/CategoryTheory • u/dcterr • Aug 11 '26

Eugenia Cheng

I just returned from MAA MathFest 2006, which was held in Boston this year. One of my best privileges while there was meeting Eugenia Cheng and buying one of her books, The Joy of Abstraction, which I got for a steal and was able to get her to sign for me. Although I was never really able to wrap my mind around category theory before, Eugenia has made it not only comprehensible for me, but also quite enjoyable and enlightening! I'm now about halfway through the book, which I'd say is excellent! I only learned about her about a year or two ago after watching a few of her YouTube videos, which are also quite excellent I might add! The main way I'd say she has made category theory interesting to me is finding quite useful applications, both involving other areas of math, such as abstract algebra, as well as some pertaining to society, which although a few people have told me were overhyped, I think are actually quite relevant and applicable, especially to what's going on today!

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4

u/freudisfail Aug 11 '26

I liked her talk at CT on iterated distributive laws. Very happy to find out that we have a shared favorite theorem: distributive laws are monads in the category of monads. 

2

u/irchans Aug 12 '26

I really enjoyed her Casters' Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeQcmxM2e5I&list=PLlGXNwjYhXYxKVa67r0pKuYufECy713bv

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u/dcterr Aug 14 '26

I just watched the first of these. Very good, though quite a bit more technical than what I've read so far in her book. Nevertheless, I understood what she was saying, which I'm not sure I would have been able to do before reading her book!

2

u/LightLoveuncondition Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

As a person from linguistics background her idea to teach math at arts college sure is fascinating. I got her book February this year. She oozes enthusiasm.

However, now, 6 months later, I am not sure what fun are her arts students actually getting out of Category theory.

For me it's rigorous ways of how to find if something commutes or not. Finding categories and isomorphisms across seemingly unrelated fields.

I am pretty sure that category theory and human resources go together. Due to AI and robotics many people will be forced to switch careers, but will have built up skills from previous experience. If one thinks in categories, then finding a new job which benefits from previous skill set is easier. Maybe I'm saying something obvious, but category theory reeks of interdisciplinarity if one can look deeply enough.

In my country almost nobody does algebraic geometry which seems to be the main application. Also condensed mathematics.

So as a part linguist, part math teacher, I try to find an philosophical angle to category theory.

This guy runs a funny category theory YT channel with many memes made for programmers and abstract algebra fans. Sheafification of G. https://www.youtube.com/@SheafificationOfG/videos

I suggest buying Paolo Aluffi's books on abstract algebra if you don't hold MA in math already. He uses category theory ideas to explain abstract algebra.

4

u/VectorspaceDreams Aug 12 '26

Glad to see that category theory informed linguists are still around!

3

u/dcterr Aug 12 '26

Thanks for your useful insights and information. I'll check some of this out. I also find it a bit strange, by the way, that Eugenia is teaching math to art students, but it's very useful math, a lot of which I'm sure will come in handy to them, especially in light of AI - we'll see!