Fuzzy sets: A topos-logical point of view

Abstract Benabou deduction-categories are defined, with a set of additional assumptions that define categories with formal finite limits (resp. formal regular categories, formal logoi, formal topoi). They are shown to be generalized structures in which higher-order many-sorted languages can be realized. The corresponding Gentzen-type higher-order calculus of sequents is explicited and the soundness theorem is formulated. A construction is given, which associates to each deduction category with formal properties a real category with the corresponding real properties, in a universal way. The corresponding sounddess and completeness properties are formulated for the real categories thus obtained. Fuzzy sets, as generalized by Goguen are introduced, considered as the objects of a category Fuz( H ), which turns out to be the real category associated to a very simple formal topos, and thus to be itself a topos: furthermore this is proved to be a Grothendieck topos which is a strictly full epireflective subcategory of Higgs' category of ‘H-valued sets’. Topoi are proposed as generalized fuzzy sets, and deductio0-categories as generalized 2 fuzzy sets. Some related topics such as Arbib-Manes fuzzy theories, probability, many-valued and fuzzy logics, intensional logic are very briefly touched upon.