Abstract

What are shapes? The ancient Greek geometer is perhaps the most familiar with these entities, but shape is general enough to transcend domains of inquiry. In this communication I present a broad examination of shape and related notions, such as form, boundary and surface. I aim to explore this question and describe the category of shape by identifying some of its most general features. I contrast geometric (or perfect) shapes with physical or organic shapes (the shape of objects), discuss granularity, artifactuality, the cognitive aspect of shape and introduce a preliminary ontological hierarchy of shape