What is Category Theory Anyway?

APA Citation:

Bradley, T-D. (2017, January 17). What is category theory anyway? [Web log post]. Retrieved July 1, 2019, from https://www.math3ma.com/blog/what-is-category-theory-anyway

Summary:  

Category theory is a way of taking “birds-eye-view” of the mathematical landscape.  From a high vantage point, patterns can be seen and methods of finding solutions shared.  It is a tool to solve math problems. Move a problem from one discipline (perhaps, algebra) to another discipline (perhaps, geometry), and see the problem with a different angle and find new tools to solve the problem.

The key in category theory is not looking so much at the actual objects but at the relations between them, “connections between seemingly unrelated things.”  Finding these relationships – how collections of objects relate to each other sensibly, is the root of category theory.

Things Learned:

Category theory is a way to look at links between types of math problems – how they can be seen with other eyes and solved using other tools.

My Question:

This answers my question about mathematical thinking as it describes category theory and how it logically looks for relations and patterns to solve problems.