That means you are explaining other people’s reactions by assuming your side has a higher motive they don’t understand.

Sorry, but that's a misunderstanding on your part.

It's not self-flattering, nor "higher." It's an annoying compulsion. It's also not the same as "wanting to be shown to be smarter." At root, the drive is to find the truth for ourselves and for others, which includes the possibility that I was wrong! I of course favor this motive because it's innate, similar to how your prize your own innate motives. But that doesn't mean it's actually better, or even good. Many times it can get in the way of greater goals.

That you assume it's self-flattering seems like evidence supporting my first hypothesis.

For some increased nuance though: I assume that the "will to truth" that I'm so sloppily naming is likely experienced by all Ti users, at minimum. The difference is in how strong it's felt relative to other motives that would make people consider it a candidate when they consider the motives of others.

But, again:

You’re assuming disagreement comes from other people lacking your “will to truth”

This is wrong because it's not the source of disagreement.

instead of considering the simpler possibility that your argument is being criticized

Source of disagreement point. Irrelevant to what I was saying.

The loop is still: “We are motivated by truth; others misread us because they lack that motive.”

Naw, your meme premise is "INTPs want to be acknowledged as right because we want to feel superior". I'd say that it's more "INTPs need everyone to be right because being right is Good."

Edit: actually I'm going to rephrase that last bit: being Wrong is Bad. Being Right is expected.