Classification theory for accessible categories

Abstract

We show that a number of results on abstract elementary classes (AECs) hold in accessible categories with concrete directed colimits. In particular, we prove a generalization of a recent result of Boney on tameness under a large cardinal assumption. We also show that such categories support a robust version of the Ehrenfeucht-Mostowski construction. This analysis has the added benefit of producing a purely language-free characterization of AECs, and highlights the precise role played by the coherence axiom.