Updated, 7:58 a.m.
Good morning on this bright Thursday.
Here’s something you might not expect to find at a farmers’ market or street parade: philosophy.
For nearly two years, Ian Olasov, a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and the founder of Brooklyn Public Philosophers, has set up an “Ask-a-Philosopher” booth in places like Union Square. There, he and fellow philosophers help passers-by with questions tougher than how to get where they are going.
The most common question they get (not surprisingly, he said) concerns the meaning of life.
“But there are other questions of pressing popular concern that people might not recognize as philosophical,” said Mr. Olasov, 31. “‘What does it mean to say that race or gender are socially constructed?’ ‘What is money?’ ‘What makes Bitcoin money?’”
During this volatile time in our country, the conversation has also shifted considerably, he added.
“One thing that strikes me is how much public talk there is about how we can ‘know’ things or how the institutions that create and disseminate knowledge should be organized — like the press,” Mr. Olasov told us. “Or the role of experts in a democracy. Or what makes scientific institutions trustworthy?”
One way to join the discussion: the Night of Philosophy and Ideas.
The overnight philosophy marathon next Saturday, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at the Brooklyn Public Library, will bring philosophers and the public together for debate, performances and more. (It’s free, and you can see the schedule here.)
Continue reading the main storyLast year’s event, which took place a week after President Trump’s inauguration and hours after the first travel ban was announced, drew thousands of attendees. Mr. Olasov remembered the message of the opening address: “We’re at a place where all across the world, people are dissatisfied with the basic structure of society — somehow, liberalism and capitalism and globalization are failing people — and we need to think about it.”
“There was this really intense and lovely sense of common purpose for the night — the sense of a bunch of people who may or may not be like-minded but are committed to reasoning together and trying to figure things out,” he said.
If you can’t make the marathon, check out these other local and online forums: Brooklyn Public Philosophers, the Gotham Philosophical Society, and The Stone from The New York Times.
Here’s what else is happening:
Weather
° ° °Nothing but blue skies do I see.
It’s not exactly warm. But a succession of sunny days lies ahead, with temperatures in the 30s today and then in the 40s through Sunday.
In the News
• A New Jersey law now threatens the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, whose mission of the past 65 years has been to root out corruption along the New York and New Jersey waterfront. [New York Times]
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• Hundreds of Yemeni immigrants were notified by the State Department last year that their visas were approved, but since the president’s travel ban recently went into effect, they have been rejected. [New York Times]
• Despite giving away his large donations from Harvey Weinstein, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has still amassed a $30.5 million campaign chest. [New York Times]
• To avoid the death penalty, the man accused of killing eight people on a Manhattan bike path will plead guilty and offered to spend life in prison without parole. [New York Times]
• After a spate of deadly bicycle accidents in the past year, New York City is looking to install protected crosstown bike lanes. [New York Times]
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• Libby Leist, a veteran “Today” show producer, will be promoted to executive producer and be the first woman to hold the top producing role of the show’s first two hours. [New York Times]
• A less expensive alternative to many New York City suburbs, Hackensack seeks to attract millennials by building additional housing. [New York Times]
• Nostalgic ’90s reality television fans may be excited to hear a rendition of “The Jerry Springer Show” will be coming to New York, in the form of an opera. [New York Times]
• A homeless shelter is slated for a former hotel on 58th Street right behind the city’s most expensive apartment building. Neighbors are dismayed. [New York Post]
• Brooklyn’s borough president will offer a mobile shower unit for the borough’s homeless, with hope that the rest of the city will follow. [CBS New York]
• A new report found that excess traffic congestion in New York City is costing the city $20 billion a year. [New York Post]
• The New York City Housing Authority is kicking off a program for residents to earn college credit in exchange for participating in leadership workshops. [Metro]
• Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “Evening at the Embers”
• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Morning Briefing.
Coming Up Today
• “ReVISION,” an exhibition by local artists who worked with materials from the metalworking factory below the gallery, opens at Edison Price Lighting Gallery in Long Island City. 5:30 p.m. [Free]
• Learn about city government departments and officials — and how to influence them — at Pelham Fritz Recreation Center in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. 6 p.m. [Free]
• “Teas of Asia,” a talk on the evolution of the drink — from its origins in China to present-day New York — at the Museum of Food and Drink in Williamsburg. 6:30 p.m. [$20, tickets here]
• Writers from “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” perform improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Hell’s Kitchen. 9:30 p.m. [$9]
• The New York Jewish Film Festival, hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Jewish Museum, continues at Walter Reade Theater on the Upper West Side. Times vary. [$15]
• Devils host Capitals, 7 p.m. (MSG+). Islanders host Bruins, 7 p.m. (MSG+2). Rangers host Sabres, 7:30 p.m. (MSG).
• Alternate-side parking remains in effect until Feb. 12.
• For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.
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And Finally...
Grab the popcorn.
Last year, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the film school at Brooklyn College held a screenwriting contest for shows by, for or about New York City women.
After poring over more than 300 submissions, the judges have narrowed it down to two finalists: Patty Carey and Robin Rose Singer are about to have their local television debuts.
Ms. Singer’s script, “Maturity,” is about a woman who moved from the Midwest to New York, where she finds work at a Bronx nursing home and meets an interesting cast of characters.
Ms. Carey’s script, “Half-Life,” is about motherhood — and juggling its responsibilities with the protagonist’s day job (as a location scout) and dream job (as a writer).
You can tune in to the pilot episodes at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday on NYC Life, or watch them online, and vote for your favorite show; the winner will have the opportunity to produce and air four more episodes.
New York Today is a morning roundup that is published weekdays at 6 a.m. If you don’t get it in your inbox already, you can sign up to receive it by email here.
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