ABSTRACT
Piaget attempted to formulate the general meaning of ‘structure’ in algebraic terms, using a concept from mathematics known as
a group (Piaget, 1970).1 He was aware of the difficulty of applying this notion to irreversible systems that evolve over time and maintain their time-dependent structure (i.e., pattern) through feedback loops. In this chapter, I propose a novel generic conception of structure-based on the mathematical concepts of category theory —that addresses the above difficulty. Although this conception is applicable to a variety of cognitive and biological phenomena, the chapter focuses only on the abstract notion of structure, leaving implications and applications for future studies. As the aim is to address readers with a wide range of mathematical backgrounds, the formalism is self-contained.
