Interestingly, a extension of this line of reasoning suggests an apparently novel argument in _favor_ of the self-identity criterion—and which might go part of the way towards _explaining_ many people's favorable attitudes towards the self-identity criterion, even if they've never formulated the argument explicitly. Let me explain.
(And please don't tell me you're surprised that I'm [inventing novel arguments for the position I've spent the last twenty months of my life obsessively arguing against!](https://archive.is/jPmyd) Policy debates [should not appear one-sided](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/PeSzc9JTBxhaYRp9b/policy-debates-should-not-appear-one-sided): it is _by means of_ searching for and weighing all relevant arguments, that one _computes_ the optimal policy, and [even generally terrible positions will have _some_ arguments supporting them](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/627DZcvme7nLDrbZu/update-yourself-incrementally). What did you take me for, some kind of _partisan hack?!_)
Interestingly, a extension of this line of reasoning suggests an apparently novel argument in _favor_ of the self-identity criterion—and which might go part of the way towards _explaining_ many people's favorable attitudes towards the self-identity criterion, even if they've never formulated the argument explicitly. Let me explain.
(And please don't tell me you're surprised that I'm [inventing novel arguments for the position I've spent the last twenty months of my life obsessively arguing against!](https://archive.is/jPmyd) Policy debates [should not appear one-sided](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/PeSzc9JTBxhaYRp9b/policy-debates-should-not-appear-one-sided): it is _by means of_ searching for and weighing all relevant arguments, that one _computes_ the optimal policy, and [even generally terrible positions will have _some_ arguments supporting them](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/627DZcvme7nLDrbZu/update-yourself-incrementally). What did you take me for, some kind of _partisan hack?!_)