I sat down with Catholic social scientist and author Catherine Pakaluk to explore why some highly educated women are still choosing to have large families. A mother of 14 children herself, Catherine made “#postcardsforMacron” go viral after the French president made dismissive remarks about educated women not wanting large families. She has since written the book Hannah’s Children, in which she profiles 55 college-educated women raising large families in spite of societal trends against motherhood and a looming depopulation crisis. Our conversation also digs into how her Catholic faith has shaped her philosophical and economic worldview—and why anti-human ideologies have become dominant in recent decades.

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Follow Catherine on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/CRPakaluk

Purchase a copy of “Hannah’s Children”: https://www.amazon.com/Hannahs-Children-Quietly-Defying-Dearth/dp/1684514576

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Outline:

[0:00] Why have so many kids?

[7:48] Kids are liberating, not burdensome

[14:10] Birthrate collapse vs. overpopulation

[20:53] Original sin and anti-natalism

[26:42] Environmentalism became planet worship

[34:46] Why do some women have lots of kids?

[49:54] Writing “Hannah’s Children”

[1:01:38] The Biblical story of Hannah

[1:08:29] Is reproduction a moral obligation?

[1:16:54] Suffering is a necessary evil

[1:29:22] Catholic social teaching and private property

[1:36:43] Is Christianity pro-socialist?

[1:43:07] Utilitarianism, individualism, and collectivism

[1:51:32] Transhumanism and techno-optimism

[1:56:29] The problem of evil and the purpose of freedom

[2:03:02] Having kids is scary but worth it

[2:10:28] Parenting and patriotism

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Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gtTO2xlxES0

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