The article is a shortened version of invited lecture for Conference honoring the scientific legacy of L. S. Vygotsky, Moscow, September, 1994. It discusses a topic that was central to L. S. Vygotsky's concern: the role of culture in human development The author illustrates the affinities between Russian ideas about culture in development and ideas derived from American and European scholars and presents an example of evaluation of the correctness of the theory with respect to a centrally important form of behavior in society - the ability to read for meaning.