I will note that shlomo has yet to answer my question; if there is a nafka mina between academic approaches to a rambam, or shulchan aruch, and the mesora-based view of those seforim, will you follow the opinions of academics over the poskim?
If yes, you are advocating a dismissal of halachik process. If no, you’re admitting that there’s little gain or truth to the academic process, because if it’s valid enough to explain rishonim, why not use it to determine halacha?
Saying it’s not a question because it doesn’t happen is like saying you won’t agree to kill an amaleki, because we don’t have amalekim among us. It’s evasive, and an attempt to straddle two opposing worldviews.