I think what's key in the author's musings is that meritocracy on its own can lead to sociopaths, bullies, and tyrants controlling society because the instituti

I think what's key in the author's musings is that meritocracy on its own can lead to sociopaths, bullies, and tyrants controlling society because the institutions at bay sort individuals according to merit, not morals, or subject matter interest. In many cases the skills of one meritocrat are indistinguishable from another, which leads to ever-increasing hoops that one must jump through to succeed in society. A lotto could be combined with meritocratic measures like Texas's University 10% rule which ensures geographic and racial diversity.