Podcast Summary: Bannon's War Room Battleground EP 836

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode, hosted by Joe Allen sitting in for Stephen K. Bannon, features a deep-dive conversation with author Grayson Quay, discussing his new book The Transhumanist Temptation: How Technology and Ideology Are Reshaping Humanity and How to Resist It. The discussion focuses on the philosophical, ethical, and spiritual critiques of transhumanism, emphasizing its deep roots in ancient religious narratives, its modern political and technological manifestations, and the challenges it presents for Christians and society at large.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spiritual Roots of Transhumanism

• Thesis of the Book

  • Quay sees transhumanism not as a novel, fringe idea, but as an ancient temptation, akin to the serpent’s promise in the Garden of Eden: "you shall be as gods…apart from a relationship with your creator" ([02:04], Grayson Quay).
  • He critiques transhumanism from a Christian (especially Catholic) perspective, emphasizing that human flourishing has a divinely ordained telos, which technology cannot supplant.

• Natural Law vs. Existential Choice

  • Quay argues that transhumanism emerges from an atheistic or naturalistic perspective—one that dismisses natural law and sees human flourishing as radical self-definition, rather than living in accordance with an intrinsic human nature ([03:16], [03:40], Grayson Quay).
  • He contrasts this with Aristotelian and Biblical wisdom—a life skill or "chokmah" in Hebrew Scriptures, crafting a life in accordance with the Creator’s design ([03:40], Grayson Quay).

2. Evolution, Teleology, and the Limits of Progress

• Transhumanism and Evolution

  • The discussion explores the evolutionary framing of transhumanism, notably Julian Huxley’s view that "man has been appointed managing director of man’s own evolution" ([13:12], Grayson Quay).
  • Chesterton’s perspective is invoked: evolution does not threaten natural law unless it’s interpreted as total flux (no stable human nature), which is the transhumanist temptation ([14:49], Grayson Quay).

• Teilhard de Chardin and Theological Optimism

  • Allen and Quay discuss Christian techno-optimism, with Teilhard’s vision of the "noosphere" as spiritual evolution.
  • Quay insists that while humanity’s ultimate telos is deification (theosis), this cannot be achieved by technological bootstrapping—"that’s the serpent’s promise, right? That’s the transhumanist temptation" ([17:52], Grayson Quay).

3. Mythology, Technology, and Demonic Imitations

• Demonic Technologies and the Nephilim
  • Quay draws a parallel between contemporary transhumanism and biblical stories of the Nephilim—demon-human hybrids created through forbidden knowledge and technology, ultimately requiring divine intervention (the Flood) ([21:18]–[22:31], Grayson Quay).

4. Where to Draw the Line: Practical and Bioethical Concerns

• Technological Enhancement vs. Restoration

  • Quay distinguishes between technologies that restore natural human capacities (like glasses or prosthetics) versus those that fundamentally alter or "upgrade" human nature—e.g., brain-computer interfaces or gene editing ([33:42], Grayson Quay).
  • "If you want to replace my hand with a laser gun, now we’re in transhumanist territory." ([35:16], Grayson Quay).
  • He’s favorable to technologies that restore health (like gene therapy in utero) but opposes those that turn reproduction and enhancement into consumer choices, severing the parent-child relationship from its natural roots ([38:53], Grayson Quay).

• Eugenics and IVF

  • The use of pre-implantation genetic screening to select embryos or eliminate genetic disorders is critiqued as eugenic and "truly demonic" if it leads to the destruction of viable embryos ([38:53], Grayson Quay).
  • "Every person that’s walking around has, you know, comes at the cost of 12 undesirables who were killed so that that one child could come into existence." ([38:53], Grayson Quay).

• Christian Moral Reasoning

  • Natural law, rooted in reason and confirmed by revelation, is presented as the framework for ethical discernment ([11:03], [12:17], Grayson Quay).
  • Dignity is not about realized will or utility but about intrinsic membership in the human species and sharing in the human telos.

5. The Christian and Conservative Response

• Right-Wing Transhumanism

  • The "tech right" (e.g., Marc Andreessen) and vitalist-nihilist factions ("Bronze Age Mindset") are criticized for contempt toward "unaugmented humanity" ([47:09], Grayson Quay).
  • Many self-described conservatives and Christians, Quay argues, have adopted the transhumanist view, as seen in the Alabama IVF law case—prioritizing utility or will over the dignity of embryonic life ([47:09]–[50:59], Grayson Quay).

• Societal and Political Challenges

  • The dilemma of competing with nations like China on human augmentation and AI is raised; Quay warns that if, in "winning," we lose our humanity, "there’s no 'we' left" ([44:24], [44:59], Grayson Quay).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Transhumanism’s Roots:

  • "The transhumanist temptation goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden…you shall be as gods, and specifically that you can be like God, apart from a relationship with God." ([02:04] Grayson Quay)

• On Technology and Natural Law:

  • "The reason the transhumanists…react this way when you question technology is because they don’t have any philosophical framework for asking and answering the question of when is it too far…natural law provides that framework." ([33:42], Grayson Quay)
  • "We know what an eye is for…the excellence of the eye is to see… If my eyes don’t see well, it’s a perfectly legitimate application of technology…if you want to replace my hand with a laser gun, now we’re in transhumanist territory." ([35:16], Grayson Quay)

• On Eugenics and IVF:

  • "Screening doesn’t save the child from having that disorder. It just kills the children that have that disorder." ([38:20], Grayson Quay)
  • "We’re staring down the barrel of like a truly demonic society where every person that’s walking around…comes at the cost of 12 undesirables who were killed so that that one child could come into existence." ([38:53], Grayson Quay)

• On Christian Telos:

  • "The ultimate telos of humanity…is not the creatures we are today… [it] is this deified, glorified state…You don’t deify yourself, you don’t claim this glorification or this, you know, transhuman state…by achieving it on your own, apart from your creator." ([17:52], Grayson Quay)

• On Political Hypocrisy:

  • "What disappointed me was not the left’s response…but the right’s response, which was immediately to say, like, no, no, we didn’t mean it…You can do IVF. There’s no liability there…many self-described conservatives and even self-described Christians have adopted this [transhumanist] mindset." ([47:09]–[50:59], Grayson Quay)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Book thesis & spiritual critique of transhumanism: [01:56]–[03:40]
• Natural law vs. existential choice: [03:40]–[06:42]
• Transhumanism through the lens of evolution and teleology: [13:12]–[17:52]
• Teilhard, noosphere, and Christian technological optimism: [15:16]–[19:53]
• Nephilim, mythology, and demonic technology: [21:18]–[24:34]
• Bioethical limits & natural law discernment: [33:42]–[38:53]
• Eugenics, IVF, and gene editing: [36:56]–[41:02]
• Neuralink and brain-computer interfaces: [41:34]–[43:09]
• EU/US/China arms race and why ‘winning’ can lose humanity: [44:24]–[44:59]
• Right-wing and Christian strains of transhumanism: [47:09]–[50:59]
• Closing remarks and book information: [51:20]

Conclusion

Grayson Quay offers a historically and theologically grounded critique of transhumanism, urging Christians and conservatives to reclaim the language and logic of natural law in discerning how to approach new technologies. The conversation underlines that human flourishing and dignity are rooted not in technological self-creation, but in aligning with humanity’s given telos—a message aimed especially at those who might otherwise adopt techno-optimist or transhumanist solutions, left or right.

Book Mentioned:

• The Transhumanist Temptation by Grayson Quay – available on Amazon and Sophia Institute Press ([51:20]).

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