Unstable independence from the categorical point of view

Abstract

We give a category-theoretic construction of simple and NSOP$_1$-like independence relations in locally finitely presentable categories, and in the more general locally finitely multipresentable categories. We do so by identifying properties of a class of monomorphisms $\mathcal{M}$ such that the pullback squares consisting of morphisms in $\mathcal{M}$ form the desired independence relation. This generalizes the category-theoretic construction of stable independence relations using effective unions or cellular squares by M. Lieberman, S. Vasey and the second author to the unstable setting.