Categories and Predications

A categorical ontology is a general classification scheme arising from the analysis of the relation of ontological predication. In the last decades, Lowe proposed a specific ontological square which combines the distinction between universals and particulars, based on a relation of essential predication, and the distinction between attributes and substrates, based on a relation of attributive predication. In this paper I briefly contrast Lowe’s square with the classical Aristotelian square and argue that the framework proposed by Aristotle allows us to develop a better interpretation of the fundamental entities and relations that constitute the square.