[johncagula]

Your use of the language "passed up to the outside" is interesting... Up and outside imply some sort of intrinsic directionality. Considering that functional programming seems to capture the mathematically inclined, can anyone speak to the concept of topology applied to code structure or interpretation? For instance, does a closure imply some sort of filtration structure on the "code space?" (by filtration here, I mean the concept from algebraic topology)

[geuis]

Oh man, you lost me. I'm definitely not one of the mathematically inclined. My analogies are rough and largely wrong and the only thing I'm trying to relate is the particular way of thinking that at a critical moment helped me understand a little more. I wouldn't put too much credence on the veracity of "up to the outside". If it does hit on some underlying important point, it's entirely by accident, I swear.

[tel]

I think yes probably if you look at the parts of the AST subject to substitution of a particular name.