nLab
COSHEP

Idea

In the foundations of mathematics, it's interesting to consider the axiom that the Category Of Sets Has Enough Projectives; in short: COSHEP (pronounced /ko:-shep/). This is also known as the presentation axiom “PAx.” It is a weak form of the axiom of choice.

In elementary terms, COSHEP states that for every set $A$, there exists a set $P$ and a surjection $P\to A$, such that every surjection $X\twoheadrightarrow P$ has a section. (Note that the full axiom of choice states that every surjection $X\to A$ has a section; that is, you may take $P$ to be $A$ itself.) In analogy with algebra (see below), we may call $P$ (or more precisely, the surjection $P\to A$) a projective resolution of $A$. Or borrowing from the philosophy of constructivism, we may call $P$ (or again, $P\to A$) a complete presentation of $A$.

Consequences

As an axiom, this has important consequences for algebra; there, one often uses the axiom of choice to prove that categories of modules have enough projectives, on the grounds that the free modules are projective. But COSHEP is sufficient; while not every free module will be projective, one can still use COSHEP to find a projective resolution? for every free module (and thus for every module).

Another important consequence is the axiom of dependent choice?, and thus also of countable choice. To prove dependent choice (over a set $A$) from COSHEP, take the usual diagram for the universal property of a natural numbers object and interpret the arrows as entire relations rather than functions. Take a projective resolution $P\to A$, note that a surjective function is the reverse of an entire relation, and replace entire relations out of the projective sets $1$ and $P$ with functions. This gives us (by recursion?) the required function $N\to P\to X$.

COSHEP also implies several weaker forms of choice, such as the axiom of multiple choice and WISC. In predicative mathematics, it can be combined with the existence of function sets to show the subset collection axiom.

Justification

Although perhaps not well known in the literature of constructive mathematics, this axiom may be justified by the sort of reasoning usually accepted (except in the school of Fred Richman) to justify the axioms of countable choice and dependent choice (which it implies, as above). To be explicit, every set $A$ should have a ‘completely presented’ set of ‘canonical’ elements, that is elements given directly as they are constructed without regard for the equality relation imposed upon them. For canonical elements, equality is identity, so the BHK interpretation of logic justifies the axiom of choice for a completely presented set. This set is $P$, and $A$ is obtained from it as a quotient by the relation of equality on $A$. This argument can be made precise in many forms of type theory (including those of Martin-Löf and Thierry Coquand), which thus justify COSHEP, much as they are widely known to justify dependent choice.

In topos theory

When working in the internal logic of a topos, the “internal” meaning of COSHEP is “every object is covered by an internally projective object.” (Compare with the internal axiom of choice: every object is internally projective.) Since every projective object is internally projective, if the topos itself has enough projectives, then it must satisfy internal COSHEP.

For example, any presheaf topos has enough projectives, since any coproduct of representables is projective, and therefore it validates internal COSHEP. In contrast, any topos that violates countable choice, of which there are plenty, must also violate internal COSHEP.

An interesting example of a topos that has enough projectives and thus does satisfy internal COSHEP (at least, assuming the axiom of choice in Set), although it violates the full (internal) axiom of choice, is the effective topos. The reason for this is quite similar to the intuitive justification for COSHEP given above.

Remarks

• The dual axiom that $\mathrm{Set}$ has enough injectives (that is, every set admits an injection into an injective set) is always true. In fact, any topos has enough injectives: every power object is injective and every object $X$ embeds in its power object $PX$ via the “singleton” map $\{\cdot \}:X\hookrightarrow PX$.

• Since $\mathrm{Set}$ is (essentially regardless of foundations) an exact category, if it has enough projectives then it must be the free exact category ${\mathrm{PSet}}_{\mathrm{ex}/\mathrm{lex}}$ generated by its subcategory $\mathrm{PSet}$ of projective objects. By the construction of ${\mathrm{PSet}}_{\mathrm{ex}/\mathrm{lex}}$, it follows that every set is the quotient of some “pseudo-equivalence relation” in $\mathrm{PSet}$; i.e., the result of imposing an equality relation on some completely presented set. See SEAR+ε for an application of this idea.

References

When Peter Aczel? was developing $\mathrm{CZF}$ (a constructive predicative version of ZFC), he considered this axiom, under the name of the presentation axiom, but ultimately rejected in favour of its weaker consequence, dependent choice?.

• Peter Aczel. The type theoretic interpretation of constructive set theory. Logic Colloquium ‘77 (Proc. Conf., Wroclaw, 1977), pp. 55–66, Stud. Logic Foundations Math., 96, North-Holland, Amsterdam-New York, 1978. Cited in Palmgren, below.

The presentation axiom was, however, adopted by Erik Palmgren? in $\mathrm{CETCS}$ (a constructive predicative version of ETCS):

• Erik Palmgren. Constructivist and Structuralist Foundations: Bishop’s and Lawvere’s Theories of Sets. pdf.

Its relationship to some other weak axioms of choice is studied in

• Michael Rathjen. Choice principles in constructive and classical set theories.

category: foundational axiom