Change the Language, Change the Culture
Brave New Us: Choosing Human in the Age of Biotechnology
Language does more than describe reality. Over time, it teaches us how to see it.In this episode of Brave New Us, Samantha shares a reading and reflection connected to her spiritual fiction project, The Bellbind Letters, exploring how cultural change often begins not with laws or technologies, but with shifts in vocabulary — especially around the body, femininity, and identity.What happens when familiar words slowly take on new meanings? And how does language shape the way a society understands what it means to be human?This episode opens a larger season-long conversation about embodiment, fertility, health, and the search for a more grounded way of living in a technological age.In this episode:How language quietly reshapes cultureWhy debates about the body are often linguistic before they are politicalFiction as a tool for cultural and moral imaginationSetting the stage for conversations on infertility, health, and embodied lifeBuy the book: The Bellbind LettersSubscribe to the newsletter!
About Podcast
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.