Brave New Us: Choosing Human in the Age of Biotechnology

Samantha N Stephenson
  • 5.0 (51)
  • Christianity

From gene editing and artificial wombs to brain implants and digital immortality—what does it mean to be human in a world trying to remake us? Brave New Us explores how emerging technologies are reshaping what it means to be human. Hosted by Catholic bioethicist and author Samantha Stephenson, the podcast sits at the crossroads of faith, science, and ethics, featuring expert interviews and incisive commentary on biotechnology, AI, transhumanism, reproductive technologies, human enhancement, and the moral questions they raise. Whether you're questioning the ethics of cutting-edge science, navigating a rapidly changing technological world, or simply seeking clarity in an age of unprecedented innovation, Brave New Us will help you think critically, live intentionally, and choose what is deeply human. Samantha Stephenson holds master's degrees in theology and bioethics, served as a Paul Ramsey Fellow at the Center for Bioethics and Culture, and taught for the McGrath Institute at the University of Notre Dame. She is the author of several books helping readers grow in faith and navigate the spiritual and ethical questions shaping our rapidly changing world. In addition to hosting the Brave New Us podcast, Samantha writes the Choosing Human newsletter on Substack where she explores faith, family, and the future of being human. Learn more at www.snstephenson.com. Subscribe now—and stay human in an age that’s forgetting how.

  1. Oct 22

    Truth Beyond Science: The Questions Science Can't Answer

    What happens when technology stops serving humanity and begins redefining it? In this episode of Brave New Us, Samantha Stephenson sits down with Dr. John Grabowski, professor of moral theology and ethics at The Catholic University of America and author of A Catholic Guide to Being Human. Their conversation explores Christian anthropology in an age of artificial intelligence, transhumanism, reproductive technology, and gender ideology. Together they discuss why science is not the same as scientism, why technology is never entirely neutral, and how the Church's understanding of the human person provides a compelling alternative to today's culture of self-creation. They also examine the ethics of life extension, CRISPR, designer children, contraception, and the relationship between the body, identity, and personhood—drawing on Scripture, Theology of the Body, C.S. Lewis, and Pope St. John Paul II. In This Episode Why Dr. Grabowski wrote A Catholic Guide to Being Human Science versus scientism The technological imperative AI and whether tools are ever morally neutral The promises and pitfalls of transhumanism Therapy versus enhancement in medicine CRISPR, longevity, and life-extension ethics Why children are meant to be begotten, not made Contraception and the transhumanist impulse Gender ideology and "the body as screen" Modern Gnosticism and today's cultural debates Pope St. John Paul II as an example of authentic humanity Resources Mentioned A Catholic Guide to Being Human Marriage4Life Angela Franks, Body and Identity Mary Eberstadt, Primal Screams Pope St. John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas Subscribe to Samantha's Choosing Human newsletter Follow Samantha Newsletter: https://www.choosinghuman.org Website: https:www.snstephenson.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@samanthanstephenson Chapters 00:00 Science as Truth Judge 00:24 Meet Dr. John Grabowski 01:20 Why This Book Works 05:18 Chapter Eight Focus 06:11 Science Versus Scientism 10:25 Technological Imperative 12:50 AI Not Just Neutral 15:12 Transhumanism Explained 18:24 Life Extension Ethics 23:47 Therapy Versus Enhancement 26:47 Making Versus Begetting 31:25 Designer Children Ethics 32:38 Defining Personhood 34:06 Contraception as Technology 35:47 From Contraception to Identity 39:31 Body as Screen 43:31 Transitioning Realities 46:56 DSM Terms and Treatment 50:58 Gnosticism and Gender 55:17 John Paul II Example 58:58 Resources and Wrap Up Connect with Samantha 🌿 Newsletter: Choosing Human 🎙️ Podcast: Brave New Us 📚 Books: Reclaiming Motherhood from a Culture Gone Mad The Bellbind Letters Grow Where You're Planted Thank you for listening.

  2. Oct 15

    What Christian Influencers Get Wrong about Yesteryear

    This is a FREE preview of a subscriber only podcast. To listen to the rest of the episode, become a paid subscriber and support the podcast at https://www.choosinghuman.org Connect with Samantha 🌿 Newsletter: Choosing Human 🎙️ Podcast: Brave New Us 📚 Books: Reclaiming Motherhood from a Culture Gone Mad The Bellbind Letters Grow Where You're Planted Thank you for listening.

  3. Oct 8

    Artificial Wombs: Are We Replacing Mothers with Machines?

    What happens when technology designed to save premature babies begins to make pregnancy itself seem optional? In this episode, Samantha Stephenson revisits her 2024 essay Artificial Wombs, Artificial Love and explores what has changed in artificial-womb technology—and what we risk losing if machines begin to replace the maternal womb. From maternal touch and fetal development to surrogacy, genetic selection, and the virtue of parental sacrifice, she asks whether technological progress can ever fully substitute for the embodied reality of pregnancy. In This Episode What artificial-womb technology can actually do—and where the research is headed Why the maternal womb cannot simply be reduced to a mechanical environment Maternal touch, fetal development, and the ethics of experimentation Artificial wombs, surrogacy, and the growing desire to eliminate pregnancy What we lose when we replace the sacrifices of parenthood with technological convenience Connect with Samantha 🌿 Newsletter: Choosing Human 🎙️ Podcast: Brave New Us 📚 Books: Reclaiming Motherhood from a Culture Gone Mad The Bellbind Letters Grow Where You're Planted Thank you for listening.

  4. Oct 1

    Welcome to Season 5: Timshel: What East of Eden Teaches Us about Being Human

    It can hardly be a coincidence, I think, that on the day I have selected to launch a new(ish) cadence and project for Choosing Human, Netflix is releasing its new adaptation of Steinbeck’s East of Eden. When I heard they were making an updated version starring Florence Pugh, I was cautiously optimistic. When I realized the release date was today, the day I planned to share with you the origin story for the title of this newsletter, I was downright tickled. Connect with Samantha 🌿 Newsletter: Choosing Human 🎙️ Podcast: Brave New Us 📚 Books: Reclaiming Motherhood from a Culture Gone Mad The Bellbind Letters Grow Where You're Planted Thank you for listening.

  5. Jul 29

    BONUS: Guardians of the Home: Discerning the Voice of Truth and Forming Peace-Filled Homes

    Recorded live at the Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators Conference (June 20, 2026) Our homes are not just places where we live—they are places where souls are formed. In this keynote from the 2026 Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators Conference, Samantha Stephenson invites parents to see their vocation with fresh eyes. In a culture saturated with anxiety, distraction, algorithms, and competing voices, mothers and fathers are called to become guardians of their homes—carefully discerning what enters their family's imagination, habits, and hearts. Drawing from Scripture, Catholic tradition, and practical wisdom for everyday family life, Samantha explores how we can cultivate homes rooted in truth, beauty, goodness, and peace. Rather than reacting to every cultural trend or technological advance, Christian families are called to become intentional communities that form children capable of recognizing the voice of the Good Shepherd. Whether you're homeschooling, raising young children, or simply longing for a more peaceful home, this talk offers encouragement and practical tools for reclaiming your family's attention, imagination, and mission. In this episode: Why parents are the primary formators of their children's hearts and minds How modern media and technology compete for our attention Learning to recognize the difference between God's voice and the voices of fear, consumerism, and distraction Building a home centered on truth, beauty, and goodness Creating habits that foster peace instead of anxiety Practical ways to cultivate silence, prayer, and wonder in family life Why the culture of your home matters more than the culture around you If this episode encouraged you, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with another parent who could use a little encouragement. Connect with Samantha 🌿 Newsletter: Choosing Human 🎙️ Podcast: Brave New Us 📚 Books: Reclaiming Motherhood from a Culture Gone Mad The Bellbind Letters Grow Where You're Planted Thank you for listening.

  6. Jul 8

    BONUS: Should Catholics Trust AI?

    Artificial intelligence is changing how we search for information, write, create, learn, and even pray. But what happens when AI enters the life of the Church? In this episode of Brave New Us, Samantha Stephenson sits down with Tim, creator of Chatechism, one of the most ambitious Catholic AI projects to date. Together they explore not only what AI can do for Catholics, but also where it should—and shouldn't—go. Rather than offering easy answers, this conversation wrestles honestly with some of the biggest questions facing the Church in the age of artificial intelligence: Can an AI ever be trusted with spiritual guidance? What responsibilities do Catholic developers have toward truth, ecology, and the common good? Should AI help write homilies or daily reflections? And what might faithful innovation actually look like? Whether you're excited about AI, deeply skeptical, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a thoughtful Catholic framework for engaging one of the defining technologies of our time. In this episode: Why Catholics shouldn't simply fear artificial intelligence—or embrace it uncritically. How large language models actually work, and why hallucinations remain one of their biggest limitations. Why Chatechism was created and the vision behind building a distinctly Catholic AI. What makes a trustworthy Catholic AI different from a generic chatbot trained on religious content. The ethical responsibilities of Catholic AI developers, including concerns about bias, reliability, environmental costs, and cooperation with morally problematic technology companies. How one Catholic family is navigating AI with children of every age—from toddlers to adults. The risks AI poses to education, creativity, and authentic human formation. Whether AI-generated spiritual reflections and homilies enrich the Church—or risk displacing the unique work of the Holy Spirit through human authors, pastors, and communities. Why Catholics need to help shape the future of artificial intelligence instead of watching from the sidelines. Tim's answer to the Brave New Us closing question: Who best embodies what it means to be truly human? Resources Mentioned Chatechism Download the app Use promo code BRAVENEWUS for a month of full features for FREE For more, check out Samantha’s article “Can AI Be Redeemed?” Connect with Samantha If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about biotechnology, artificial intelligence, faith, and what it means to remain deeply human in an age of rapid technological change, subscribe to Brave New Us wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also find Samantha's writing at Choosing Human, where she explores bioethics, motherhood, technology, and Christian anthropology.

  7. May 1

    Season FINALE: Touching Grass, Or Why I Gave Up My Homestead Dream

    What if the answer isn’t escaping modern life, but learning to inhabit it differently? In this season finale, Samantha reflects on her own attraction to the homestead ideal — and why she ultimately reconsidered what it means to live sustainably, faithfully, and attentively in the place God has already given her. This episode marks the beginning of a summer pause for Brave New Us and an invitation to continue the conversation through gardening, stewardship, and cultivation on YouTube. In this episode: The appeal and limits of the homestead dream Stewardship versus escape Gardening as an embodied spiritual practice An invitation to grow where you’re planted Summer Update:Brave New Us will return after a seasonal break. In the meantime, join Samantha on YouTube for garden stories, practical growing, and reflections on embodiment, limits, and care for creation. Buy the book: Grow Where You’re Planted: Reclaming Eden in Your Own Backyard YouTube

  8. Apr 17

    Your Uterus or Mine? How Transplantation Is Changing the Face of Reproductive Medicine | Dr. Andrew Kubick

    Medical breakthroughs often arrive faster than our moral vocabulary can keep up. Samantha speaks with Andrew Kubick of the National Catholic Bioethics Center about uterine transplantation — from its therapeutic promise for women experiencing infertility to the profound ethical questions raised as reproductive technology expands toward increasingly experimental possibilities. When medicine gains the power not only to heal but to redesign reproduction, how should we think about human dignity, motherhood, and the meaning of the body itself? In this episode: The science and ethics of uterine transplants Therapeutic medicine vs. technological expansion Bioethics and Catholic moral reasoning The cultural implications of redefining reproduction Buy the book: Transplanting the Womb Subscribe to the newsletter!

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About

From gene editing and artificial wombs to brain implants and digital immortality—what does it mean to be human in a world trying to remake us? Brave New Us explores how emerging technologies are reshaping what it means to be human. Hosted by Catholic bioethicist and author Samantha Stephenson, the podcast sits at the crossroads of faith, science, and ethics, featuring expert interviews and incisive commentary on biotechnology, AI, transhumanism, reproductive technologies, human enhancement, and the moral questions they raise. Whether you're questioning the ethics of cutting-edge science, navigating a rapidly changing technological world, or simply seeking clarity in an age of unprecedented innovation, Brave New Us will help you think critically, live intentionally, and choose what is deeply human. Samantha Stephenson holds master's degrees in theology and bioethics, served as a Paul Ramsey Fellow at the Center for Bioethics and Culture, and taught for the McGrath Institute at the University of Notre Dame. She is the author of several books helping readers grow in faith and navigate the spiritual and ethical questions shaping our rapidly changing world. In addition to hosting the Brave New Us podcast, Samantha writes the Choosing Human newsletter on Substack where she explores faith, family, and the future of being human. Learn more at www.snstephenson.com. Subscribe now—and stay human in an age that’s forgetting how.

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