 Flatness criterion using ideals

The arrow is the canonical multiplication map, not an arbitrary abstract module isomorphism. Its inclusion into $M$ is ${\mu }_I:I{\otimes }_{A}M\to M$. Dualizing identifies ${\mu }_I^{\ast }$ with the restriction ${\mathrm{Hom}}_A(A,M^{\ast })\to {\mathrm{Hom}}_A(I,M^{\ast })$. All these maps are surjective precisely when $M^{\ast }$ is injective, by the Baer criterion. The injective cogenerator of abelian groups detects injectivity of ${\mu }_I$, and the Lambek theorem gives flatness. No Noetherian or finite-generation hypothesis is needed.