I've read it on Wikipedia that in the category of Sets, the statement "every set is a projective object" is equivalent to the Axiom of Choice.
I'd like some references with this proof but I'm having trouble finding them. Could anyone help me?
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Sign up to join this communityI've read it on Wikipedia that in the category of Sets, the statement "every set is a projective object" is equivalent to the Axiom of Choice.
I'd like some references with this proof but I'm having trouble finding them. Could anyone help me?
This is due to Andreas Blass,
Blass, Andreas "Injectivity, Projectivity, and the Axiom of Choice." Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, Vol. 255, (Nov., 1979), pp. 31-59
Let $E_{\alpha}$ be a collection of nonempty, pairwise disjoint sets, let $\Lambda$ be the index set, let $\cup_{\alpha \in \Lambda} E_{\alpha}$ be denoted by $E$. Consider the diagram with maps $id: \Lambda \rightarrow \Lambda$ and $e: E: \rightarrow \Lambda$ where $e(x)=\alpha \mbox{ if } x \in E_{\alpha}$, note that this function is well defined as the sets $E_{\alpha}$ are pairwise disjoint. Now $\Lambda$ projective implies there is a map $c : \Lambda \rightarrow E$ such that the diagram commutes which is essentially the axiom of choice. And Axiom of choice will imply there is such a map. Thus finishing the proof.