There seems to be a general stage where civilizations have widespread trade networks, highly varied luxury goods, sometimes running water and/or printing, complex mechanical toys, large cities etc. The more ancient civilizations at this rough stage always have less advanced metal-working and animal&plant domestication than the later ones, as metal and genes advance relatively continuously.

More advanced civilizations have more wealth per-capita, though not more median wealth. Much of that excess wealth is used for more religion, which includes education. Cosmopolitanism might push towards more independence of thought, but not likely towards fewer hours of training.

My post was a hypotheses as to how civilization tends to destroy the competitiveness of a certain type of person, basically by pushing them to eschew near-mode thought through the explicit endorsement of far-mode and denouncement of near mode (http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/06/school-is-far.html#comment-448720) . Rationality tends to be negatively useful in sales. It's critical in policy analysis jobs, royal advisers and the like. Otherwise, agreed.