My Current Favorites – [May 2025] Fallacies, Determinism & Miniatures

Fallacies

I did a exchange semester in Sydney in Australia and my best friend in London, UK. One day we talked about it and discovered that whether in Australia or the UK, plagiarism is unacceptable to them. From the very first days at university, we were taught to write essays by citing sources according to the “Harvard referencing” style, a author-date citation style commonly used in academic works, for example (Durkheim, 1893) and the full references are given at the end, in the “Bibliography” section. I find this system very interesting because it forces me, every time I put forward an idea, to know whether this idea comes from me (and to come up with valid arguments) or if it comes from someone else. Thus, the essays we wrote during our exchange semester were much better argued and structured than the ones we did in France.

However, after my studies, I completely forgot this method. I admit to having written and said things with flawed logic. Or sometimes I come across a highly biased article, riddled with manipulation, and I can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong. Recently, someone published a manipulative article (in Vietnamese) that circulated widely. Another person took the time to deconstruct each argument by pointing out all the fallacies (or sophisms, erroneous reasoning) in that article.

A fallacy is an argument that seems logical at first glance but relies on a reasoning error or manipulation.

That’s where the problem lay in those articles.

Examples:

• Ad hominem : attacking the person rather than the argument. “You can’t talk about ecology; you have a car.”
• False dilemma : “You’re either with me or against me.” (As if there were no neutral position, nuance, or alternative.)
• False causality (post hoc ergo propter hoc): believing that one event causes another just because it precedes it. “Since I started wearing this bracelet, I’ve had more luck.” While we have the right to express our opinions without necessarily giving an argument, but it must be clearly indicated as such: “Since I started wearing this bracelet, I feel luckier, but I don’t know if it’s the cause.”
• False equivalence “It’s your opinion, I respect it, but I also have my opinion,” we treat two opinions as equal, when they can be fundamentally different. However, it seems to me that some ideas should not be considered mere opinions; for example, claiming that “the Earth is flat” is not a valid opinion but a factual error. Respecting such a claim under the pretext of respecting others’ opinions can be misleading.

In our current society, where we increasingly tend to mix opinions and facts, it becomes difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood. Sometimes simply presenting a viewpoint different from the mainstream is enough to be accused of being a “hater,” leading to dangerous confusion.

This could lead us to extreme relativism, where truth would be reduced to a mere matter of personal feeling or subjective opinion, where 2+2 could be 5 at any moment (like in the novel 1984).

There are several books on the fallacies but I can’t recommend any at the moment. If you know one, tell me in the comments!

Determinism

Recently, a book by Noh Sang-jin, a master of sa-ju (Korean astrology, based on birth date and time), gwan-sang (physiognomy) and pung-su (geomancy), was translated into Vietnamese. This is an exceptional event because, generally, Vietnamese people only translate this type of work from eminent Chinese authors, but rarely from Japanese or Korean ones. After some research on Naver, I discovered that the author was the last disciple of Je-san Park Jae-hyun, a legendary figure in this field. Noh Sang-jin is also an advisor to many Korean politicians and plays a role in the recruitment of Samsung’s top executives (!!!).

Noh Sang-jin’s ideas struck a chord with me, especially his strong emphasis on determinism.

He compares life to a car and a road. Destiny represents the vehicle (the nature of the person, which is said to be chosen before birth based on the life plan one wishes to accomplish), while luck corresponds to the road taken. In other words, although the vehicle (personality and talents) is predetermined, the life trajectory (opportunities and obstacles) depends on external factors, such as efforts and personal choices. When you’re on the highway, you need to accelerate and reach 110 km/h, not stay at 50 km/h. On a difficult road, however, you should slow down and accept driving at 5 km/h at times to avoid ending up in a ravine. But at all times, you need to have fuel, or else even on the highway, you won’t move an inch.

This metaphor highlights the importance of acting at the right time and being prepared, even if destiny seems already mapped out. However, effort (or lack thereof) is part of the “skills” assigned by destiny. Consequently, although we feel we have free will, it is nonetheless limited by the contours of destiny. He argues, for example, that even if a person makes every possible effort, if they are not destined to become a billionaire, they never will.

Since no one knows the limits of their destiny (the car’s final destination), we must keep moving forward, keep making efforts, whatever the road, to discover the final destination. On the other hand, we shouldn’t hold grudges against the “lazy,” because their lack of will is also part of their destiny. They will be lazy when pursuing the wrong goal.

Let me explain: According to him, destiny is a contract we sign before coming into this world. We choose our parents, our obstacles, our misfortunes, and our main goal. Our whole life is about finding what goal we set with “the universe” and achieving it. Paulo Coelho calls it “the personal legend”. He says “the whole Universe conspires to help you achieve your desire”, because the universe has signed a contract with us to help us achieve that desire.

So, if we are not rich, it’s not necessarily our fault, but because our goal lies elsewhere, the universe deliberately makes us poor to guide us onto the right path, towards our “personal legend.” That’s why the law of attraction doesn’t work for everyone: the goal in question must be part of the “contract” and within the limits set by destiny.

On the one hand, I find this determinism very liberating. On the other hand, it challenges the secret hope we all have of being able to change our destiny. In Vietnamese, there is a Vietnamese expression: “đức năng thắng số”, which translates into French as “vertue et capacité triomphent du destin”, emphasizing the idea that inner qualities and skills can influence and surpass destiny.

What do you think?

Let me tell a story to add to the debate, because as we learned earlier, we should avoid fallacies and offer different points of view 😉 heheh

Having consulted several mediums, I know that this idea of determinism is widely shared among them. Why? Because they manage to predict many future events, and even if people are warned, these events remain unavoidable. In such situations, one is tempted to believe in determinism. I remember a medium I consulted before my world tour, because I suddenly had doubts. Her clients all talked about her great accuracy, and several mentioned minor incidents she had predicted, including a pickpocketing. You should know that it’s extremely rare to be targeted by pickpockets when you’re careful and used to spotting pickpockets in the Paris metro, but it turns out JB was indeed robbed in broad daylight on Copacabana beach. Reading several books a few years later, I understood where the thefts that were happening at her clients’ places came from. In fact, she’s probably being helped by a djinn or a lost soul. These souls have the peculiarity of seeing the present and the past, but not the future. In exchange for the information they provide, they ask for something in return. And these pickpocketing incidents were the price her clients paid, and it’s probably the only correct prediction she manages to make every time. Obviously, this medium believes in determinism, because despite her warnings, many end up getting robbed at some point.

Kindle Unlimited at Amazon Japan

I renewed my Kindle Unlimited subscription at Amazon.co.jp. You know, Kindle stores don’t have the same stock from one country to another. In Japan, there are tons of DIY books included in the Kindle Unlimited offer, and it’s a great pleasure for me to read them. Well, “read” is an understatement. These books are super well illustrated, you don’t need to understand Japanese at all. Here’s a little list of books I’ve “borrowed” on Kindle Unlimited.

Right now, you can try Amazon Kindle Unlimited on amazon.co.jp for free for 2 months; you just need to create an account on Amazon.co.jp and enter your international payment card. The Amazon interface can be set to display English. Anyway, if you’re familiar with the Amazon France interface, you shouldn’t have any difficulties.

There are so many quality books that it’s hard for me to give you a list. Personally, I read books on paper cutting, sewing, embroidery, and miniature houses. They have techniques unique in the world. Some ebooks contain links to download templates from a Japanese site. It’s super handy for those with cutting machines like me. I highly recommend it! It’s free!

DIY

This month, I took out my cutting machine again and made a series of paper birds. Paper is a material that has been with me since I was a little girl; I used to make lots of 3D greeting cards. Probably because it’s the cheapest material any child has access to. Now that I have a cutting machine, I have even more fun.

I participated in a workshop to create a miniature paper gardenbefore assembling two miniature kits. My visit to a miniatures museum in Amsterdam (JB counted, he said I went there 4 times in 2 days) reminded me how much I love this. I don’t feel ready yet to create a miniature from scratch. I use kits to learn the techniques, but I’d like to create my own design one day. I think miniature making is the most sophisticated form of DIY, because you can go very far, be a perfectionist, and do leatherworking, bookbinding, painting, gilding, and sewing all at once.

I’ve talked about all these projects on my other creative blog mehach.com.

Speaking of miniatures, I discovered this miniature museum concept (which is very small in size, rented for $200/month). They share their marketing and merchandising strategy, and I find it very interesting.

There’s another Instagram account I really like: it’s a creator who makes paintings from sewing threads (string art). The special thing is that he does it with a computer connected to a custom-made machine. He coded a program to automatically plant the nails, guide the thread, and the result is stunning. I don’t think we should go back to the Middle Ages. I love craftsmanship, but I find it even more extraordinary when artists use new technologies to push creativity further.

Sewing is annoying me more and more; I feel no pleasure when I sew. And then at one point, I had to finish my blouse, and I did it in a “whatever if it’s ugly” mode. This lack of expectation finally triggered the pleasure of creating. The finishes are unfortunately worse than before because I cut and sew faster and I don’t necessarily fix the flaws. But at least I’m not sewing reluctantly. I think with sewing, unlike other forms of craftsmanship (where I don’t use a machine and have better control over my gestures), I need to lower my perfectionism and let time and practice do their work. I made a set for my sister. For the top, I made it 3 times until it became wearable, and it’s repetition that makes this top better, not perfectionism.

In Brussels, I saw these little chocolate boxes shaped like houses. The boxes cost around €24 and have chocolates inside. But I just want the boxes, so I bought these empty boxes on Vinted for between €1 and €3. The cardboard suitcases are also found on Vinted for €3-5. This allows me to store my tools, my sewing threads… when I’m not using them.

DIY & monetization

More and more people are encouraging me to monetize the time I spend on DIY. Some ask me why I don’t connect consumers with the custom artisans I know — I’ve actually already answered that question here. Others wonder how I plan to earn income from my experiences in leatherworking, sewing, miniatures, machine translation, etc. Yet, no one asks a runner how he’ll monetize his next marathon.

My passions, even if I practice them with rigor and at a near-professional level, remain for me in the same logic: it’s a space of creativity, not a business plan. When I lose myself in a manual activity, it’s a bit like meditating. I can’t think about anything else; I’m just there, focused, at peace. This is what’s called “the flow” : that moment when you’re so immersed in what you’re doing that you lose track of time. It’s a state very similar to what’s shown in the movie Soul, when the characters enter that special space where they’re completely connected to their passion. They rise above.

When a passion becomes a source of income, it also becomes a job—and it’s not uncommon for the fun to evaporate quickly. Every time I receive an order—even from JB—I feel a lot of pressure, and it often cuts me off from the joy of creating. Maybe because I don’t yet master my hand techniques well enough to work with the same confidence I had in my previous job, marketing? For now, they meet a very clear need for freedom: freedom from consumerism, from imposed trends. As soon as I like something, I can create it myself, with my own hands—and I appreciate it all the more.

If I ever decide to monetize my passions, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, you can already enjoy what I share—even just to place custom orders with my favorite artisans.