Providing an in-depth treatment of an exciting research area, this text's central topics are initial algebras and terminal coalgebras, primary objects of study in all areas of theoretical computer science connected to semantics. It contains a thorough presentation of iterative constructions, giving both classical and new results on terminal coalgebras obtained by limits of canonical chains, and initial algebras obtained by colimits. These constructions are also developed in enriched settings, especially complete partial orders and complete metric spaces, connecting the book to topics like domain theory. Also included are an extensive treatment of set functors, and the first book-length presentation of the rational fixed point of a functor, and of lifting results which connect fixed points of set functors with fixed points on other categories. Representing more than fifteen years of work, this will be the leading text on the subject for years to come.
1. Introduction; 2. Algebras and coalgebras; 3. Finitary iteration; 4. Finitary set functors; 5. Finitary iteration in enriched settings; 6. Transfinite iteration; 7. Terminal coalgebras as algebras, initial algebras as coalgebras; 8. Well-founded coalgebras; 9. State minimality and well-pointed coalgebras; 10. Fixed points determined by finite behaviour; 11. Sufficient conditions for initial algebras and terminal coalgebras; 12. Liftings and extensions from Set; 13. Interaction between initial algebras and terminal coalgebras; 14. Derived functors; 15. Special topics; A. Functors with initial algebras or terminal coalgebras; B. A primer on fixed points in ordered and metric structures; C. Set functors; References; Index of categories; Subject index.
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