Stars as simulacra, hopeful pessimism, divination in AI and more in #TheEdit.

• I see more stars online than in the sky. At some point in the last century, we collectively began looking at more representations of stars than stars themselves – Substack
• What is hopeful pessimism? Philosophy professor, Mara van der Lugt, challenges the virtue of optimism, the downfalls of blind hope and tells us pessimism, not to be confused with fatalism, might prepare us best for this world – The Gray Area Podcast (VOX)
• Magic and divination in the age of AI. An event in London finds eerie common cause between computer scientists and tarot readers. Meanwhile, Nvidia conjures a market cap of $4trn – New Statesman 
• Thinking is becoming a luxury good. Making healthy cognitive choices is hard. In a culture saturated with more accessible and engrossing forms of entertainment, long-form literacy may soon become the domain of elite subcultures – The New York Times (gift link)
• The grisly glory of the group holiday. It’s well and truly summer and more people are using it to be among kin. The dream holiday is simply replicating Sunday lunch beside the sea – Financial Times (gift link)
• How to counter fake news. The traditional playbook is insufficient – Harvard Business Review
• The art of listening in an age of employee activism. NYU Stern Professor, Alison Taylor asks the hard questions that guides businesses to know when it’s time to take a stand on a social or political issue – The Beautiful Truth