topological rule.  

&gt; 
&gt; &gt;I'm not
&gt; &gt;a realist about physical objects or universals, and when did 
&gt; I ever say that
&gt; &gt;spaces and surfaces are less real than objects or "things of 
&gt; zero thickness
&gt; &gt;can't be spatiotemporally located"?
&gt; 
&gt; I inferred it from your reactions to some of Matthew's earlier 
&gt; messages; but the inference was not deductively valid, I confess.
&gt; 
&gt; &gt; The merged ontology contains just one
&gt; &gt;existence claim, viz. that ther