2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/142528The well-known difficulties arising in a classification which is not set-theoretically trivial---involving what is sometimes called a non-smooth quotient---have been overcome in a striking way in the theory of operator algebras by the use of what might be called a classification functor---the very existence of which is already a surprise. Here the notion of such a functor is developed abstractly, and a number of examples are considered (including those which have arisen for various classes of operator algebras).26 pagesOperator AlgebrasCategory Theory18A22, 46L35, 46M15text