143. The distinction between relative and absolute applies to
attributives as well as subject-terms. 'Greater,' 'near, 'like,' are
instances of attributives which everyone would recognise as relative.

144. A relation, it will be remembered, is a kind of attribute,
differing from a quality in that it necessarily involves more
substances than one. Every relation is at bottom a fact, or series of
facts, in which two or more substances play a part. A relative term
connotes this fact or facts from the point of view of one of the
substances, its correlative from that of the other. Thus 'ruler' and
'subject' imply the same set of facts, looked at from opposite points
of view. The series of facts itself, regarded from either side, is
denoted by the corresponding abstract terms, 'rule 'and 'subjection.'

145. It is a nice question whether the abstract names of relations
should themselves be considered relative terms. Difficulties will
perhaps be avoided by confining the expression 'relative _term_'
to names of concrete things. 'Absolute,' it must be remembered, is a
mere negative of 'relative,' and covers everything to which the
definition of the latter does not strictly apply. Now it can hardly be
said that 'rule' is a name given to a certain abstract thing with
direct reference to some other thing, namely, subjection. Rather
'rule' and 'subjection' are two names for identically the same series
of facts, according to the side from which we look at them. 'Ruler'
and 'subject,' on the other hand, are names of two distinct
substances, but each involving a reference to the other.

146. This division then may be said to be based on the number of
things involved in the name.