I haven't read the source quotes, but I would argue that a pure meritocracy does not organically establish and maintain itself. Humans don't behave like perfect

I haven't read the source quotes, but I would argue that a pure meritocracy does not organically establish and maintain itself. Humans don't behave like perfect robots, we're messy. We have cognitive biases, sometimes we act irrationally, we like to form tribes and in-groups and out-groups. We trust some people and distrust others, and that can affect our judgement both consciously and subconsciously. Without rules and governance, there is nothing to enforce a consistent meritocratic system.