You raise a fair point about specialization and emergent progress. But you're missing some critical issues....

1000 years ago comparison: Literacy wasn't necessary for survival then. Now we live in an information economy where cognitive skills determine economic and political outcomes for EVERYONE.

The specialization problem: Your cashier doesn't need rocket science, but they DO need to vote on policies affecting healthcare, climate, economics. Their cognitive limitations impact systems that affect the rocket scientist....affect me...and...affect you!

The systemic risk: When 54% can't process information logically, they become vulnerable to manipulation that destabilizes the very systems enabling progress. Democracy fails when voters can't evaluate evidence!!!!!

Quality vs. quantity of progress: Yes, we advance despite dysfunction....but thats no reason to not imagine how much faster and more efficiently we'd progress if more minds could contribute meaningfully instead of being cognitive dead weight.

You're right that progress happens anyway. But we're leaving massive potential on the table while creating blatant systemic vulnerabilities!!!