Robert Matthew Jones

This article assesses whether, for Nietzsche, character can change. Starting with Brian Leiter’s reading, which supports a fixed character view, this article develops a contrasting model according to which Nietzsche allows for substantial change. It argues that substantial character change is possible for Nietzsche because the fixed facts about a person do not preclude changes to the relevant character traits—especially those that influence a person’s relation to morality. The article ends by arguing that Nietzsche’s rejection of Schopenhauer’s “doctrine of the unchangeability of character” and his efforts to persuade his readers out of any commitment to what he calls morality both support the substantial character change view.