Implication Details

Claim: If a category has a parametrized natural numbers object and is pointed, then it is trivial.

Proof: Let (N,z,s)(N,z,s) be a parametrized natural numbers object in a category with a zero object, denoted 00. The morphism z:0→Nz : 0 \to N must be zero. Applying the universal property with A=1A=1 shows that s:N→Ns : N \to N is an initial object in the category of endomorphisms. This initial object exists and is given by the identity 0→00 \to 0. Therefore, N=0N = 0. Now, Lemma 3 here implies that id⁡X=0\id_X = 0 for every object XX, so that X=0X = 0.

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