Graziadio d'Ascoli e la natura della relazione categoriale

This article reconstructs Graziadio d’Ascoli’s account of categorial relation, with particular attention to his commentary on Aristotle’s Categories. It argues that Graziadio develops an original position that lies between realism and conceptualism. A relation derives its real being from the foundation on which it depends, but it cannot be entirely reduced to that foundation, since it possesses an essentially distinct ratio. This ratio, however, does not constitute a separate reality added to the foundation, but emerges through the comparative activity of reason. In this sense, a relation is neither an autonomous extramental thing nor a mere product of the mind. The article also highlights the role of theological reflection, especially the problem of relations in divinis, in shaping Graziadio’s position.