Everyday Ethics

Is immigration good for the economies of these islands?

Ten years ago Martina Purdy left the BBC to become a nun. She talks about having a great job and all the good things in life at that time but gradually feeling "choked" by the weight of her possessions. There's been many a twist and turn in the decade since and things haven't always gone to plan for her but does she still believe it was it the right decision?

Did you enjoy the Olympics opening ceremony? The four hour extravaganza was remarkable in its ambition and execution- and delighted billions around the world who tuned in

But one group wasn't terribly happy with one part of it. Christians were apparently outraged by a scene that evoked Leonardo daVinci's The Last Supper painting, with drag queens, a transgender model and a singer made up as the Greek god of wine

The organisers apologised saying the scene was intended to interpret Dionysus and raise awareness of violence between human beings- and that any interpretation of it being a parody of the Last Supper was unintentional

A delegate of the bishops of France for the Games said some French athletes had trouble sleeping because of the controversy.

France has a rich Catholic heritage but also has a long tradition of secularism and anti-clericalism. Blasphemy is legal and is considered by many to be an essential pillar of freedom of speech.

What does this tell us about Christianity's ability to see beyond the obvious, to sometimes laugh at itself, or is the whole episode another example in the so-called culture wars between Conservatives and Liberals in the world right now?

Audrey discusses with theologians Dr Elaine Storkey, Dr Tina Beattie and Professor Laurence Kirkpatrick.

Freedom - Neuroscientist, author and broadcaster Hannah Critchlow joins presenter Audrey Carville to discuss the science of choice and free will. Do they really exist or are we programmed to conform? What happens in our brains when we make a decision and how much does our environment influence the decisions we make? Do our early years inform what kind of decision maker we are and why are some people decisive and others procrastinate? Also our right to vote is a fundamental aspect of freedom and the foundation of a democratic society. Professor Thomas Gift has led extensive studies analysing US politics and America’s role in the world, he joins Audrey to discuss what factors affect our decision making and whether we vote differently if we fear our freedom might be compromised.

In the first of a three-part series on the topic of freedom Audrey Carville and a panel of guests discuss ‘what do we mean by freedom?’ Is freedom always conditional?

One of America's most senior health officials has called on the US government to add smoking-style warning labels to social media websites. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants people who uses these sites and apps to be shown a message, warning that they are associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. Audrey Carville has been speaking about this with leading cyber-psychologist Professor Mary Aiken, and lawyer Paul Tweed, who specialises in defamation cases.

Julian Assange became the centre of global attention after the organisation he founded, Wikileaks, released thousands of documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, along with diplomatic cables. His case was bound up in legal battles with the US government until this week, when it emerged that he had agreed a plea deal which would allow him to return to his native Australia.

Is the Assange case a triumph or a blow for press freedom? What responsibilities do journalists have to the safety and security of nations and their peoples when they publish information about issues of national security? Does the case set a precedent for governments to increase their grip, their control of how journalists do their work? Audrey Carville was joined by former journalist and author Mihir Bose, the former head of the Royal Navy- Admiral Alan West, and Professor Deirdre Heenan of Ulster University.

All the world’s a stage said Shakespeare but while on that stage what are the rituals that help us make sense of life? Presenter Claire Graham is joined by Rev Cheryl Meban, Father Martin Magill and Dr Leon Litvack to look at the rituals around life big and small moments. Each faith has its rituals and remembrance around, birth, marriage and death but also around daily life, around food and conversation and being. We find out more about them and ask why human beings have a deep need for rituals whether faith based or not.

For many people a diagnosis of Alzheimer's or Dementia might seem like a death sentence but can the impact be softened? Tens of thousands of people across Ireland are affected and for some it can be a long, lonely journey but are there ways to make it a bit easier? Presenter Audrey Carville in conversation with Dr Gemma Carney from Queen's University who's a social and cultural gerontologist involved in the exploration of human ageing, Nora Owen, a former Irish Government Justice Minister who cared for her husband Brian, and Kieran Coote who devoted years caring for his mother Patricia.

Drivers, students, stay-at-home parents, working people - we all seem to be more stressed at the very least, angrier at best. Shop workers, nurses, bus drivers- they all report getting shouted at, spat at or hit every week. There's a lot of fear in the world today - wars, the growth in dictators, the growth in extremist politics, climate change. And from fear comes anger. Basic respect and 'being civil' to each other is diminished. What's at its root? Audrey Carville is discussing this with Justine McCarthy (journalist and columnist with the Irish Times), Paul Connolly (musician and educator) and Professor Stephen Reicher (who teaches social psychology at the University of St Andrews).