Track Record Arguments in Normative Ethics

ABSTRACT Track record arguments (TRAs) contend that it speaks in favor of an ethical theory (such as utilitarianism) if many of its past proponents had moral views that were controversial at their time but which we now consider to be clearly true (e.g., women's equal rights in 18th century Europe). This paper explores how to construct potentially sound TRAs and evaluates their merits. I show that, in principle, TRAs can support the claim that an ethical theory should be used as a guide for making ethically significant decisions, while TRAs for the truth of theories face additional obstacles.