It's muddied because we have to define merit. Take for example your quote from Slatestarcodex. That's purely about qualifications. Surgeon A might be an alcoho

It's muddied because we have to define merit. Take for example your quote from Slatestarcodex. That's purely about qualifications. Surgeon A might be an alcoholic and Surgeon B might have an incredible success rate. Are their qualifications relevant then? Anyway the point of the article and book isn't about merit as just qualifications but about the detrimental impact of rewarding only merit on the stratification of society. Changing the criteria for merit just alters the stratification.