4 ms·

What is the definition of 'canonical' then? I've often found the label 'canonical' to be rather arbitrary.

• k0k0r0 4y ago
  Exactly that the point. It's not clear. Except for whenever the main theorem of global class theory applies. Then it's clear up to a minus sign.
• Koshkin 4y ago
  'Canonical' means constructible from the definition (the axioms) of the structure alone. A canonical isomorphism is not necessarily unique.
  • k0k0r0 4y ago
    That's maybe true in some fields of mathematics. In others that's misleading, and the usual understanding of canonical as unprecisely defined "obvious choice" is definitely more helpful.