https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonoetic_consciousness

I would agree that memory, especially Autonoetic memory plays a key roll in what I would see as a self extended in time. Do you have differant views? Or do you see gaps in concious experience as problematic?

Thats oddly reassuring. Seeing conciousness as whats lets the self/personal identity exist/experience itself but not self/personal identity itself means that gaps in conciousness is not a problem anymore.

Somewhat amusingly preeminent modern Christian thinkers like Bently Hart see Descartesian dualism as a post Christian concept that had very little to do with how Christians for most of their history have seen the soul/mind. So if there is frustration about Descartes its on both sides.

I ment David Chalmers yes. I sent him a couple of email and like a Saint he sparked some time for me by replying. I did not want to take up more of his time by pestering for clarifications, but the gist of the communication was "Id not be too worried. I think we survive, I hope we do, but I cant be sure."

Your take on it if accurate clear some things up for me. Should I in your view take the whole matter to be possible theoretical, like us living in a simulation, but not terrible plausible or likely, and as a result not wlrthy of too much attention. If you open a pm with me I can share the full communication with you if you think it would make a differance?

As for why this has resonated so stronglt with me might be a life long uneasr with being unconcious, and simply having it as a possibility, one I cant disprove struck a deep and powerful cord with me. Its almost like If i cant prove its not the case, then it is the case.

It is indeed an unfortunate situation.

Allowing for a purely materialistic naturalism based answer that does away with conciousness completely as well as any dualism?

i ment regarding surviving sleep. To use a computer as a metaphore, I see myself as a whole comprised of hardware and software and the survival of both is important for my survival. Through sleep or otherwise.

Out of curiosity what are the competing thoeries on conciousness now?

This also helps alot. I suppose I saw sleep more as the death of on conciousness and the rebirth of another, not so much the suspencion of another, which is probobly more accurate. Certainly experts on sleep and conciousness dont seem to be sounding the alarm that we "die" when we sleep, and those I have corresponded with in email seemed perfectly confident we survive it.

The only one I have had an email exchange with about this that was less then certain was Chalmers Who answered my question of us surviving sleep with "I think we do. I hope we do. But I cant be sure."

Alot about this helps for sure. Such as the knowledge that the brain cant shut down. It also seems fairly reassuring that while consciousness is suppressed, the potential for consciousness is there constantly, re-emerging after the brain stops jamming itself. It is hard to catch the moment you fall asleep for sure. I tend to forget the 10-15 minutes before I fall asleep as a matter of course. My understandings on sleep testing and monitoring is that this kind of memory loss in the final minutes of consciousness is common place.

Also the realization that sleep helps maintain personal identity by keeping you from spiraling out of control is a comforting thought. That instead of being death, it is one of the things that keeps you very much alive, and yourself.