This is an unfinished thought; I actually edited most of this
   out... but it contains some ideas I didn't want to lose, even if
   it's not cohesive... Beautifully written my friend.* I'd like to
   frame your last paragraph, particularly, in gold.* Allow me to
   tell you a story and then link it back. In education, I've
   always been a fan of John Dewey; a true radical whose ideas
   shaped Education from the 1890s through 1940.* His ideas shaped
   many other parts of public policy but my interest is his
   influence on Education. I first read of him when I was a young
   teenager; after tripping over John Holt and "Unschooling" / "Why
   Johnny Can't Read" and first learned about alternative
   education; it's what prompted me to work very hard at getting a
   scholarship to a private high school, which succeeded and I
   did.* I entered private school in 9th Grade, very proud of
   myself.* My mother thought I did it because of a bully but no,
   it's because school sucked and I knew it and learned WHY it
   sucked on my own, and I knew there were alternatives. While I
   couldn't get to Summerhill, at least there was something for me
   that was better. So, long story longer, 13 year old Ken got
   out.* Yet, something haunted me. I mentioned it in another post
   and won't repeat much of it: Poor Comprehension in Elementary
   school.* ACT/PSAT/SAT's with 99.999% and 60% in this "Reading
   Comprehension" thing.* Ok, I can't be perfect in everything and
   really, I didn't care about the grades or numbers except: *why
   was this one so low?** It was strange that it was so ...
   different. Was I? Just yesterday, figured out what it was, made
   a quick study of it and it was Inferring Author's Intent. I knew
   I hated those questions and figured I had a disability in that
   area - and perhaps I do. But the difference all these years have
   made is this, which you put into words *so beautifully* with
   regards to economies: *adapts, learns, and decides on some rule
   of order -- a culture is formed, and the behaviors are either
   sanctioned or punished depending on the mutual consent of all
   interested and empowered parties. Over time this results in a
   codified process, and some trusted agency of protective and
   managerial specialization. Those who refuse to play by the
   socially acceptable rules, are expected to refrain from
   playing... or are somehow shunned, repudiated, or penalized for
   known repeat offences.* *BINGO*. Those words, different
   context.* What is the author's intent?* Given 5 choices, which
   is "most likely"?* Well, I was always a creative thinker.* I
   could imagine scenerios where one could be more valid than
   another.* I knew what they *wanted* me to say.* I just didn't
   care.* It seemed stupid to me.* But, there was the shunning, the
   penalties...* I didn't care, for to me, the *world of author
   intent - their very _mind_* is pure freedom, pure anarchy, the
   place of dreams and imagination.* Their writings should *speak
   for themselves* and the *reader* - ahhh. the reader, should have
   the _anarchistic freedom_ to decide. To me, the relationship
   between author and reader is pure.* Free.* Imagination to
   imagination. *BUT* - as you've said, a culture formed. Flash
   back to John Dewey:* Radical, Progressive.* Education is
   centered around a child's needs with teacher as helper in the
   process of creating a creature capable of free thought.
   Marvelous!* Wonderful!* Progressives like John Holt and the
   creator of Summerhill inspired me when I was a 13 year old boy
   at the anarchistic freedom of a *true education*.* It was
   theoretically *possible*!* I did what I could to actualize it;
   and reading simplified summaries of John Dewey made it stronger;
   I took action and it worked for me. But... there was this
   nagging thought;* What happened?* Why did his ideas get
   relegated to little private schools like the one I found?* Why
   did they not flourish and grow, take wings and fly? And there it
   is: You said it.* A generation comes along that says, "We must
   codify freedom". And so it did. Flash forward 40 years to my
   education.* By this time, many shifts in education had happened
   since Dewey's idealism fell out of favor. "What do our cultural
   expectations wish for you to infer about the intentions of this
   author that is not present in the text as written by the
   author?" Even in 4th/5th Grade, I saw the BS in it, even though
   I didn't have the words to express it like that.* To me, I got
   the same feeling I got when I started noticing the BS in TV
   Commercials; I got a very STRONG SENSE when someone was trying
   to _lead me_ to believe a certain way. But my beliefs were
   mine.* And I believe that another's beliefs (such as an authors)
   belongs to them. For a teacher or a test to say, "This is what
   you should think the author was thinking" seemed wrong then and
   still does.