Basic Problems of Mereotopology

Mereotopology is today regarded as a major tool for ontological analysis, and for many good reasons. There are, however, a number of open questions that call for an answer. Some of them are philosophical, others have direct import for applications, but all are crucial for a proper assessment of the strengths and limits of mereotopology. This paper is an attempt to put some order into this still untamed area of research. I will not attempt any answers. But I shall try to give an idea of the problems, and of their relevance for the systematic development of formal ontological theories.