The category with binary relations as objects

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I have reconsidered my ideas and remember how I thought ones upon a time. I will make a last try and delete if it doesn't work:

Set is the category where sets are objects and functions are morphisms and Rel is the category where sets are objects and binary relations are morphisms.

I can think about two categories where functions are the objects, with pair of functions $(\alpha,\beta)$ $\require{AMScd}$ \begin{CD} X @>\alpha>> X'\\ @VfV V @VVf'V\\ Y @>>\beta> Y' \end{CD} as morphism, with or without a condition of commutative diagrams ($f'\alpha=\beta f$). For relations these alternative do not preserve even the structure of relations as graphs in a natural way.
$$ \begin{CD} X @>\alpha>> X'\\ @VR V\qquad \displaystyle ? V @VVR'V\\ Y @>>\beta> Y' \end{CD} $$ Is there a suitable condition on the diagram that preserves the graph-structure and make the pairs of relations $(\alpha,\beta)$ to morphisms?


The composition of relations $\alpha\subset X\times X'$ and $\alpha'\subset X'\times X''$ is defined

$(x,x'')\in\alpha'\alpha \Leftrightarrow \exists x'\in X':(x,x')\in\alpha \wedge (x',x'')\in \alpha'$.


You where right about my first attempt, but I hope that this is interesting enought, since many structures in mathematics in fact is just relations, and preserving those relation should be interesting.

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(Hurkyl + Ittay Weiss are right)

If u define Rel to have sets as objects and binary relations as arrows and you show this makes it a category, then u have (as for any category):


Say $\mathcal{C}$ is an arbitrary category (not necessarily small)

Define $\mathcal{\hat C}$ to be the category having as objects all $\mathcal{C}$-arrows and as arrows between two $\mathcal{\hat C}$-objects $f:A\longrightarrow A'$, $g:B\longrightarrow B'$ the pairs of $\mathcal C$-arrows $\phi_{AB}:A\longrightarrow B$, $\phi_{A'B'}:A'\longrightarrow B'$ such that the following diagram commutes

\begin{align} A & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow & B\\ \downarrow & & \downarrow \\ A' & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow &B' \end{align}

The composition of arrows is well defined since for $\mathcal{\hat C}$-objects $f:A\longrightarrow A'$, $g:B\longrightarrow B'$ and $h:C\longrightarrow C'$ and $\mathcal{\hat C}$-arrows (i.e. commuting $\mathcal{C}$-diagrams)

\begin{align} A & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow & B\\ \downarrow & & \downarrow \\ A' & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow &B' \end{align} and \begin{align} B & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow & C \\ \downarrow & & \downarrow \\ B' & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow &C' \end{align}

the combined $\mathcal{C}$-diagram commutes

\begin{align} A & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow & B & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow & C \\ \downarrow & & \downarrow & & \downarrow \\ A' & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow &B' & \space\space\space\space\space\space\space\longrightarrow &C' \end{align}

thus buidling a composed $\mathcal{\hat C}$-arrow $\phi_{AC}:A\longrightarrow C$, $\phi_{A'C'}:A'\longrightarrow C'$