Smith spends a considerable portion of the book rebutting the arguments of the mercantilists, though often these are simplified or exaggerated versions of mercantilist thought.
Such arguments emphasise that, because the civil courts award compensation commensurate with the damage done, they apply the appropriate level of deterrence.
Agents satisfy the range of application attributed to function objects, such as being passed as arguments in procedural calls or specified as callback routines.
