Categorical Phenomenology Framework

The Categorical Phenomenology Framework is the architectural scaffold built around the Perception Functor (VII.D44): a structure-preserving transformation from sensory contexts to experiential contents. The framework treats perception, experience, knowledge, and justification as functorial — perception is a functor (VII.D44), knowledge is a section (VII.D42), justification is gluing (VII.D43). Phenomenology becomes a category-theoretic discipline rather than a first-person poetics.

Categorical invariant. Perception : SensoryCtx → ExperientialCtx is a structure-preserving functor; knowledge is a section of the experience-presheaf (VII.D42); justification is a gluing condition on local sections (VII.D43). Together they constitute a categorical phenomenology: experiential structure is functorial structure.

Primary registry anchor: VII.D44

Supporting items: VII.D42, VII.D43, VII.D45

1. I.K0 — Universe Postulate
2. VII.D44 — Perception Functor — sensory contexts to experiential contents
3. VII.D45 — Temporal Experience Structure — pre-symbolic temporality
4. VII.D42 — Knowledge as Section — knowing is sectioning the experience-presheaf
5. VII.D43 — Justification as Gluing — justification is local-to-global coherence

The Categorical Phenomenology Framework is instantiated whenever an experiential structure is analysed as a functor, section, or gluing. Examples: perceptual constancy (the perception functor preserves object-identity across sensory variation); knowledge as situated section (knowing where you are = a section over a perceptual cover); justification across testimony (gluing local justifications into a global one).

Examples:

• Perceptual constancy: a coffee cup looks like a cup from many angles — the perception functor preserves object-identity under sensory transformation
• Situated knowledge: knowing your location is sectioning the experience-presheaf over a perceptual cover (proprioception + vision + memory all glue)
• Justification across testimony: a belief held on multiple testimonial sources is justified by gluing — local sources cohere on overlaps
• Temporal experience: the duration of a melody is not the sum of note-durations; it is the pre-symbolic temporal section before T_past/T_present/T_future apply

Register codomain: Reg_E (empirical readouts of experiential content) and Reg_C (commitment-side stances on experience) — categorical phenomenology lives at the intersection where experiential reports are both empirically reportable and commitment-stable

Manuscript reference: manuscript-sources/book-07/part03/ch35.tex

Status: Planned

Related glossary entries

• MG-A04-temporalization-operators Temporalization Operators
• MG-H01-qualia Qualia (subsymbolic morphisms)
• MG-R01-empirical-register Empirical Register (Reg_E)