From Yoneda to Topoi morphisms

Abstract

In this note we show how two fundamental results in Topos theory follow by repeated use of Yoneda's Lemma, the formalism of natural transformations and very basic category theory. In Lemma 9.4, we show the fundamental result SGA4 EXPOSE IV Proposition 4.9.4, which says that for any site $\cc{C}$, the canonical functor $\cc{C} \mr{\varepsilon} Sh(\cc{C})$ into the category of sheaves, classifies sites morphisms $\cc{C} \mr{} \cc{Z}$ into any topos $\cc{Z}$. After the usual Yoneda's Lemma, Lemma 3.1, we show that the Yoneda functor $\cc{C} \mr{h} \Eop{C}$ classifies functors $\cc{C} \mr{} \cc{Z}$ into any cocomplete category $\cc{Z}$, via a cocontinuos extension $\Eop{C} \mr{} \cc{Z}$, Lemma 5.2. Then we reach Lemma 9.4 by an step by step enrichment of 5.2. All we use is Yoneda's Lemma, over and over again, and the Yoga of natural transformations. In Lemma 10.1 we show the equivalence between \emph{flatness} and \emph{left exactness} for functors from finitely complete categories into any topos. Our proof is elementary, we show how basic exactness properties of sets prove the result for set valued functors, then we generalize to functors valued in any topos utilizing results of the previous sections and the Yoga of natural transformations. Besides the thread we follow,nothing here is new, although we haven't seen 10.1 proved this way before.