A note on iterative arguments in a topos

Abstract

Intuitively, transfinite iteration is a repetitive process, which eventually reaches completion, but might need to progress through an infinite chain of steps before finally doing so. But whereas such a chain is always readily at hand in classical set theory in the form of ordinals, iterative arguments involving sets (i.e. objects) in a general topos have to depend on some intrinsic or naturally available inductive structure, say algebraic, which might not be associated with a (well-ordered) chain.