Applied Category Theory Course (2018)

As a programmer interested in category theory, I found this book a rather good balance between the abstract non-sense of CT and what I might actually use in programming. I wonder if anyone else has good books to recommend? I feel that the contents of the book remains a bit hard to appreciate in full unless you have ran into these concepts previously.

Re: Applied Category Theory Course (2018)

#6

Post by esafak » Fri, Jul 03, 2026, 11:51 PM UTC

not_a_bot_4sho wrote: post #2

Yay, John!

I knew it was going to be Baez just from the title and domain.

Re: Applied Category Theory Course (2018)

#7

Post by 363849473754 » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 12:41 AM UTC

Jhsto wrote: post #5

As a programmer interested in category theory, I found this book a rather good balance between the abstract non-sense of CT and what I might actually use in programming. I wonder if anyone else has good books to recommend? I feel that the contents of the book remains a bit hard to appreciate in full unless you have ran into these concepts previously.

F. William Lawvere - Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories

Eugenia Cheng - The Joy of Abstraction: An Exploration of Math, Category Theory, and Life

She builds up to the category theory chapters.

Book club: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhgq-BqyZ7i7tEEQVG5rlOG8y...

Re: Applied Category Theory Course (2018)

#8

Post by lioeters » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 1:29 AM UTC

esafak wrote: post #6

not_a_bot_4sho wrote: post #2

Yay, John!

I knew it was going to be Baez just from the title and domain.

John Baez' recent work on Mathematics of Tuning Systems is such a fun read. I enjoy how he explains ideas so clearly that the general public can understand and appreciate.

Re: Applied Category Theory Course (2018)

#9

Post by jhartikainen » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC

Jhsto wrote: post #5

As a programmer interested in category theory, I found this book a rather good balance between the abstract non-sense of CT and what I might actually use in programming. I wonder if anyone else has good books to recommend? I feel that the contents of the book remains a bit hard to appreciate in full unless you have ran into these concepts previously.

Not sure of your level, but as a beginner, these two were recommended to me on HN previously:

- https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/conceptual-m...

- https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/11/04/category-the-essence-... (a blog series on CT specifically for programmers)

Re: Applied Category Theory Course (2018)

#10

Post by Jhsto » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 10:49 AM UTC

363849473754 wrote: post #7

Jhsto wrote: post #5

As a programmer interested in category theory, I found this book a rather good balance between the abstract non-sense of CT and what I might actually use in programming. I wonder if anyone else has good books to recommend? I feel that the contents of the book remains a bit hard to appreciate in full unless you have ran into these concepts previously.

F. William Lawvere - Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories Eugenia Cheng - The Joy of Abstraction: An Exploration of Math, Category Theory, and Life She builds up to the category theory chapters. Book club: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhgq-BqyZ7i7tEEQVG5rlOG8y...

Thanks for the links! The first book seems very good (I already own the latter).