Episode 183, Grayson Quay on Transhumanism and the Battle for the Human Soul

In this episode, author Grayson Quay discusses the ethical and moral challenges posed by transhumanism—a growing movement that seeks to redefine what it means to be human through technology—and how we, as Catholics, can faithfully resist its allure.

In his book, The Transhumanist Temptation: How Technology and Ideology Are Reshaping Humanity—and How to Resist, Quay skillfully exposes the lies underpinning transhumanism and warns readers about the dystopian “brave new world” that is no longer a distant threat, but an unsettling reality already taking shape around us. His book is available through Sophia Institute Press and Amazon. 

At its core, transhumanism seeks to move “beyond” what is human. It is a non-theistic worldview that grounds its ethics in scientific advancement and utilitarian reasoning—essentially, if it benefits me, it must be good and acceptable. This philosophy rejects divine order and moral truth, elevating human will and technological power as ultimate authorities.

Quay’s book is divided into five sections: bodies, realities, politics, work and God. The first chapter addresses issues of sex and reproduction. The transhumanist aspires to total control over the body, desiring to choose its form and manipulate its functions at will. “It’s my body,” they argue, “and I have the right to do with it whatever I please.”

Procedures like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) have become increasingly common in recent years. IVF involves fertilizing an egg outside the womb, typically resulting in the creation of multiple embryos—far more than are ever brought to term. The remaining embryos are destroyed, frozen for future use, or donated for experimentation. From a Catholic perspective, each embryo is a human life at its earliest stage, and to destroy or freeze them is gravely unjust. While the desire to bring a child into the world is noble, we must remember the moral principle that the end does not justify the means.

Surrogacy extends this detachment from the natural order even further. By implanting a fertilized embryo into another woman’s womb, the act of bearing a child becomes a transactional process rather than a sacred gift. This has led to complex legal and moral crises—separating motherhood from its natural, God-given unity.

Another subject Quay addresses is transgenderism, an issue unknown half a century ago. Increasingly, society is beginning to recognize the dangers of irreversible surgeries and hormone treatments, particularly when performed on children. The so-called freedom to alter one’s body has led to deep psychological and physical harm, often masked by slogans of self-expression.

For the transhumanist, the will reigns supreme—human desire knows no limits. This obsession with self-creation and autonomy mirrors, in many ways, the oldest temptation: “You shall be like gods.” Some might say that a form of modern satanism—the worship of the self—has become the new religion of the West.

Quay’s book offers a deeply thought-provoking examination of these issues. It challenges us as Catholics to recognize how the spirit of the age tempts us to reject God’s design in favor of human invention—and to renew our commitment to the truth that only Christ can restore the full dignity and meaning of our humanity.