"The point of an anonymous function isn't to make it not have a name, but to be able to define it where it is needed instead of referring to some specific funct

"The point of an anonymous function isn't to make it not have a name, but to be able to define it where it is needed instead of referring to some specific function name in your code." Actually, its point is to make it a value that can be referenced from any number of bindings (associations between names and values) in any number of scopes. What you're saying is just a consequence of this. "It also fits well with the way PHP handles "pointers", by storing the name of a variable in another variable." Which only shows the deficiency, since any such indirect reference should never refer to a name, but to a binding instead.