The 2-category theory of quasi-categories

In this paper we redevelop the foundations of the category theory of quasi-categories (also called infinity-categories) using 2-category theory. We show that Joyal's strict 2-category of quasi-categories admits certain weak 2-limits, among them weak comma objects. We use these comma quasi-categories to encode universal properties relevant to limits, colimits, and adjunctions and prove the expected theorems relating these notions. These universal properties have an alternate form as absolute lifting diagrams in the 2-category, which we show are determined pointwise by the existence of certain initial or terminal vertices, allowing for the easy production of examples. All the quasi-categorical notions introduced here are equivalent to the established ones but our proofs are independent and more "formal". In particular, these results generalise immediately to model categories enriched over quasi-categories.