Name Peter Freyd Books Categories, allegories | Role Mathematician | |
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Known for Freyd–Mitchell theoremHOMFLY polynomialAllegory Organizations founded | ||
Peter J. Freyd (; born February 5, 1936) is an American mathematician, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, known for work in category theory and for founding the False Memory Syndrome Foundation.
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Mathematical work
Freyd is perhaps best known for the adjoint functor theorem. He was the author of the foundational book Abelian Categories: An Introduction to the Theory of Functors. This work culminates in a proof of the Freyd–Mitchell embedding theorem.
In addition, Freyd's name is associated with the HOMFLYPT polynomial of knot theory, and he and Scedrov originated the concept of (mathematical) allegories.
In 2012 he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
False Memory Syndrome Foundation
Freyd and his wife Pamela founded the False Memory Syndrome Foundation in 1992, after Freyd was accused of sexual abuse by his daughter Jennifer. Freyd denies the accusations. According to a statement made by William Freyd, his brother and Jennifer Freyd's uncle, Freyd and his wife Pamela grew up in the same household as step-siblings.
Freyd's brother added that, in his view, "The False Memory Syndrome Foundation is designed to deny a reality that Peter and Pam have spent most of their lives trying to escape," and that he was certain abuse happened to his niece.