Is fate lovable? The paradoxes of amor fati and the vicissitudes of existence
Nietzsche’s notion of amor fati is commonly taken to mean ‘love of one’s fate.’ This seemingly simple formulation conceals two paradoxes.
Is fate lovable? The paradoxes of amor fati and the vicissitudes of existence
13 May 2026, 17:30 – 19:15
First, fate includes suffering, loss, negativity, events we would rather not remember. Can such a fate genuinely be loved?
Second, if loving fate requires seeing it as beautiful or making it beautiful, does this not risk loving a beautification rather than fate itself – a kind of ‘distorted fantasy’?
Heewon Seo reinterprets amor fati not as self-deceptive beautification but as an ontological stance that renders life affirmable despite the vicissitudes of existence.
PESGB seminar series
This event is part of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain (PESGB) seminar series. PESGB is a learned society that promotes the study, teaching and application of philosophy of education. Its London Branch hosts seminars every Wednesday in conjunction with the Centre for Philosophy of Education. These seminars are led by national and international scholars in the field, covering a wide range of issues of educational and philosophical concern.
All are welcome to attend.
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CICADA.
Heewon Seo
PhD researcher in philosophy and education
UCL Institute of Education
Her research examines the question, “What makes humans human in the digital age?” and seeks to answer it through explorations of paradoxes, focusing primarily on the works of Levinas, Derrida and Nietzsche.
Her recent work engages women philosophers and writers such as Donna Haraway, Anne Carson, and Simone Weil, bringing their ideas into dialogue through her ongoing work on paradox.
Further information
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