Some remarks on the notion of relative in Categories 7

Abstract

In Prior Analytics, Aristotle exempts himself from the task of formalizingstatements containing multiple quantifiers. Apparently, he believes this kind of statements could be reducible, in a way, to categorical statements. In this paper, I shall examine some passages of Categories 7 which could help us to understand the place Aristotle consecrates to relational predicates, in order to try to shed some light on his reasons for neglecting statements containing multiple quantifiers in the context of his logic.