TY - JOUR
T1 - Inconsistent boundaries
AU - Weber, Z.
AU - Cotnoir, A.J.
N1 - Research on this paper was supported by a grant from the Marsden Fund, Royal Society of New Zealand.
PY - 2014/12
Y1 - 2014/12
N2 - Mereotopology is a theory of connected parts. The existence of boundaries, as parts of everyday objects, is basic to any such theory; but in classical mereotopology, there is a problem: if boundaries exist, then either distinct entities cannot be in contact, or else space is not topologically connected (Varzi in Noûs 31:26–58, 1997). In this paper we urge that this problem can be met with a paraconsistent mereotopology, and sketch the details of one such approach. The resulting theory focuses attention on the role of empty parts, in delivering a balanced and bounded metaphysics of naive space.
AB - Mereotopology is a theory of connected parts. The existence of boundaries, as parts of everyday objects, is basic to any such theory; but in classical mereotopology, there is a problem: if boundaries exist, then either distinct entities cannot be in contact, or else space is not topologically connected (Varzi in Noûs 31:26–58, 1997). In this paper we urge that this problem can be met with a paraconsistent mereotopology, and sketch the details of one such approach. The resulting theory focuses attention on the role of empty parts, in delivering a balanced and bounded metaphysics of naive space.
KW - Mereology
KW - Paraconsistent logic
KW - Spatial representation
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84939960599
U2 - 10.1007/s11229-014-0614-z
DO - 10.1007/s11229-014-0614-z
M3 - Article
SN - 0039-7857
VL - In Press
JO - Synthese
JF - Synthese
ER -