LOOKING FOR DOG
CBy Kevin Duggan all it a night of natural
philosophy.
An all-night ideathon
will return to Brooklyn Public
Library’s Central Branch at 7 pm
on Feb. 1 and stretch well into
Feb. 2, offering 12 free hours of
philosophical debates, artistic
performances, film screenings,
juggling shows, and readings. The
fourth annual Night of Philosophy
and Ideas promises a diverse array
of discussions, including several
speakers who will discuss what we
can learn from the natural world.
Philosopher Mark Alizart will
deliver an 8 pm lecture simply
titled “Dogs,” which examines
our relationship with Man’s Best
Friend as more than just master
and pet. Domestication happened
as much to humans as it did to
dogs, according to the scholar.
“Dogs have co-evolved with us,
we’re actually also domesticated
animals,” Alizart said. “So we
should look at dogs as another face
of ourselves rather than an animal
we have dominated.”
The thinker recently published
a book about canines, also titled
“Dogs,” which he wrote after
his own pooch died in 2016. He
found that dogs have mostly
been written about dismissively,
portrayed as hapless goofy
animals that we need to protect. In
fact, their instincts are to protect
us — and they might find some of
our behavior stupid, too!
“Sometimes they probably
think we’re stupid and childish,
A man of dog: Philosopher Mark Alizart and his dog Master Eckhart.
Photo by Lili Doillon
like when we’re throwing food
away,” he said.
Alizart doesn’t look to dogs
for self help, but he does think our
fluffy companions can teach us to
enjoy life.
“There’s something about them
I think we can learn from, by
opening ourselves up to their joy
of life, and how you take pleasure
from the simple things.”
Later in the night, at 10 pm, a
Columbia University philosophy
professor will discuss the natural
world as a living organism
with its own dignity, inspired
by a pair of under-appreciated
female philosophers. In her talk
“Everything Is Alive: Weird
Metaphysics in Early Modern
Thought,” Christia Mercer will
discuss the beliefs of Julian of
Norwich, from the Middle Ages,
and 17th century philosopher Anne
COURIER L 44 IFE, JANUARY 24-30, 2020
Conway.
“Conway thinks that everything
in nature deserves dignity — even
little critters,” Mercer said.
Her talk will show how the
writings of these mostly forgotten
women offer a radical perspective
on today’s environmental crises.
Mercer has spoken at previous
iterations of the night-long
marathon of ideas, and enjoys
having heated discussions during
the coldest months of the year.
“There’s something really
exciting and invigorating about it,”
she said. “It’s a nice antidote to the
season.”
“A Night of Philosophy and
Ideas” at the Library’s Central
Branch 10 Grand Army Plaza,
at Eastern Parkway in Prospect
Heights, (718) 230–2100, www.
bklynlibrary.org. Feb 1, 7 pm–7
am. Free.
TBy Jessica Parks hey’re making fetch
happen!
An early-morning
frisbee-throwing contest
for humans and their canine
companions will determine
the borough’s top dog when
it kicks off next month. But
the K9 Frisbee Toss and Catch
is more than a chance to see
how your fuzzy friend’s frisbee
skills stack up to the other tailwaggin’
residents of Brooklyn
— it can also bring you and
your pooch closer together,
according to the founder of the
Brooklyn K9 Frisbee Club.
“With my dog, I feel like our
bond has gotten a lot better,”
said Navin Sivakumar. “When
we are out and about, she pays
far more attention to me and
seems happier.”
The Club will open the
“Summer Down Under”
season on Feb. 5 at 8 am at the
Prospect Park Grecian Shelter.
For five wintry weeks, dogs
and their people will compete
each Wednesday to complete
the most passes and returns in
60 seconds, with longer throws
grabbing higher points.
Scores are submitted to the
K9 Frisbee Toss and Catch
League, a worldwide registry
that collects rankings from
more than 250 clubs in 18
countries. The League allows
Brooklynites to not only
compete locally, as the state’s
only registered club but on the
international stage.
Sivakumar said that, aside
from practicing your own
throwing, the key to success is
not just sparking excitement in
your pup, but also convincing
them to relinquish the frisbee.
“You want to get your dog
excited about playing with their
toy and be like ‘I like this
frisbee a lot,’” Sivakumar said.
“But then you have to teach
them to give it back to you.”
New person-and-dog
frisbee teams are welcome to
participate, Sivakumar said,
and the club’s dog-loving
members will help teach even
the oldest pooch some new
tricks.
“It is very beginnerfriendly,”
he said. “Actually,
it is very everybody-friendly.”
The League holds five
five-week frisbee seasons
throughout the year — Summer,
Fall, Winter, Summer Down
Under, and Spring.
K9 Frisbee Toss and Catch
at the Prospect Park Grecian
Shelter, also known as the
Peristyle (enter on Parkside
Avenue between Park Circle and
Parade Place in Prospect Park
South, tossandfetch.com). Feb.
5–March 4, Wednesdays at 8
am. $20 for the season.
Happy new year! Again!
Good boy! The Brooklyn Dog Frisbee league opens its five-week toss and
fetch competition on Feb 5. Photo by Steve Surfman
Ruff competition
Canine frisbee club’s
toss-and-fetch contest
All-night philosophy marathon discusses animals
WBy Bill Roundy e are three weeks into
2020, and I am already
done with it!
Fortunately, the Lunar New
Year is just around the corner, and
we can look forward to the Year of
the Rat! That’s definitely a good
omen, right?
You can celebrate the
transition into the Year of the
Rat on Sunday at the Brooklyn
Children’s Museum (145
Brooklyn Ave. at St. Marks
Avenue in Crown Heights,
brooklynkids.org). A $13 ticket
will get you in from 10 am to 5
pm, so you can join the 4:30 pm
parade through the kids’ museum
led by lion dancers from the
Chinatown Young Lions. While
you are there, visit the adorable
Roger the Sloth, from
the “Survival of the
Slowest” exhibit.
The New Year
party continues
on Wednesday,
with a Red
Envelope Show
at Dekalb Market
Hall (445 Albee
Square West between
Fulton and Willoughby
streets Downtown, www.
dekalbmarkethall.com). In China,
it is traditional to celebrate the
Lunar New Year by giving gifts in
red envelopes, so this annual art
exhibit, organized by Grumpy Bert
gallery, features art painted on red
envelopes. More lion dancers will
perform at the opening reception,
Wednesday night from 6 pm to 9
pm. It is free to check
out the art, but will
cost up to $100 to
take it home!
Finally, we
have a chance
to give up on
this decade
entirely and
go back to the
early 1990s! The
band Spin Doctors,
who crafted the mega-hits
“Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”
and “Two Princes” in 1992 and
1993, respectively, will celebrate
its 30th anniversary on Thursday
at Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Ave.
between N. 11th and N. 12th streets
in Williamsburg, brooklynbowl.
com). The show starts at 8 pm, and
tickets are $20.
/bklynlibrary.org
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/www.dekalbmarkethall.com
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/tossandfetch.com
/brooklynkids.org
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