Time to sharpen up your lawyer skills and write an argumentative essay? Well, first, you’ll need to choose a topic that holds weight and decide on your viewpoint. The best argumentative essay topics are the ones backed by mountains of research and facts so that your argument is an indisputable and absolute win. Picking a topic like that can get you heady, but we’ve got your back with this definitive list of argumentative essay topics and ideas for everyone.
How to Choose an Argumentative Essay Topic
In essays such as these, writing is not the challenge as much as it’s researching, reading, observing, and analysing viewpoints and facts. A good rule of thumb when picking topics for argumentative essay is to go for subjects you’d enjoy diving deep into. Otherwise, the research process can become tedious and overbearing, especially considering the amounts you’d have to do. For some, however, choosing topics for an argumentative essay can pose the opportunity to take an unexpected side or gain knowledge in a previously unknown subject.
Pro Tip
If you’re up for a challenge, pick a topic you don’t fully know, and pick a side that you don’t fully agree with. Writing papers from the opposing point of view can be fun while also sharpening and broadening your argumentative skills, given that you’re not emotionally tied to your subject of choice.
Here’s a checklist you can refer to when choosing topics for an argumentative essay:
- Make sure your topic has lots of existing research. The best sources are academic journals, articles, primary sources such as interviews, and previous research conducted on the subject.
- Familiarize yourself with the topic first. Check to see what kind of research you can find on the subject and whether your point of view has been previously supported or disputed.
- Try something controversial. Banal topics like supporting the legalising of medical cannabis may seem edgy, but it’s been done a million times. For best output, look for topics for argumentative essay which have some controversy surrounding them.
- Start researching the opposing side. It’s easy to back up your claim, but it’s more challenging to offer the counterclaim and dispute it carefully. Follow the ancient idiom “know your enemy, and know yourself,” and the argument is in your hands.
- Check the news. Most often than not, you’ll find great ideas from watching or reading the news. The most recent global discussions require the most urgent attention, and as a student and part of the developing world, your opinion or position matters the most.
Use these criteria to pick the best argumentative essay topics from our list. Grab a piece of paper and a pen to note down any ideas that come along the way. We’ve tried to include topics from multiple categories, and if you feel like our list is incomplete, we’d love to hear your feedback and ideas!
Best Argument Essay Ideas
Greatest ideas can come from the strangest places, but maybe not in this case. When looking for argumentative writing ideas, it’s recommended to stick to modern-day problems that required attention. You’ll find lots of ideas in the news, on the internet, by listening in on students’ conversations and paying attention to modern trends and tendencies.
At the end of the day, you’ve got to ask yourself: what are the most interesting argumentative essay topic ideas? What would not only enjoy writing about but also find to be a beneficial and urgent subject to address? Perhaps with your essay, you could change somebody’s mind and impact the world in a positive way.
Look for topics in the following fields or ideas:
- Using smartphone technology during the learning process in school.
- Advancing the race to space with companies like Space X.
- Teaching business and how to deal with money at an earlier age.
- Banning soda and junk foods at school cafeterias.
- Including gender studies in the school curriculum.
- Letting professors have full control over what they teach in classrooms.
- Banning smoking around university grounds.
- Introducing fines for non-recycled garbage.
- Spending millions on developing 3D technology which enables us to scan into the crust of the Earth.
- Building a space base on the moon and mining asteroids rich in natural material.
- Changing the process of educating people on political parties and ideas.
- Altering the election process.
- De-funding, re-thinking the police force.
- Taking away the power of mass corporations on the internet.
- Introducing bitcoin as the primary currency in a certain country.
- Giving manual labor jobs to AI.
- AI for home learning.
- Students should be taught computer language as a mandatory language course.
- The Roman Empire should be its own separate history class.
- The basics of philosophy should be taught earlier in school.
- TOEFL and SAT are archaic; methods of entry into college should be replaced with more modern ones.
- College tuition must go down, as most of the valuable knowledge from college can be obtained online.
- Colleges should place harder pressure on students, as they party too much and study too little.e
- Colleges should do more to monitor the circulation of Adderall on their campuses.
- Music class should be mandatory in college, whether it’s music history or pop music.
- Gender class should be mandatory in college.
- High school students should have a class educating them on the history of Television as a medium.
- Corporations should focus more on creating renewable and recyclable packaging for their products.
- Ecological products should cost less.
- Corporations should focus their efforts on creating more jobs in the ecology market.
Most Interesting Topics for Argumentative Essays
Looking for interesting topics for argumentative essay? You’ve hit a lucky run, as we’ve got fascinating and thoughtful topics on various subjects and across various fields. Use our lists for inspiration, and you’ll have no trouble impressing the professor with your thoughtfulness and knack for a good and well-argumented point of view.
- Lottery winners: have their lives significantly improved by winning the lottery or making one big score?
- Argue in favor of or against the implementation of the death penalty in certain developing nations.
- Support or argue against quick fashion brands, considering their impact on society and the environment.
- Take a position in favor of or against atheism in the modern world.
- Support the studying of religions, despite the modern world being primarily atheist.
- Sororities and fraternities: do they do more harm to students than good?
- Take a position in favor of or against democracy in a large country like Russia or China.
- Take a position on Elon Musk’s idea of a brain implant, and discuss whether it would be beneficial or harmful to people.
- Do high levels of competition breed stress, jealousy, and bullying in the workplace?
- Support the digitization of transportation and supermarket shopping in an era of a global pandemic.
- Argue in favor of or against basic jobs (like truck drivers and builders) being done in the future by robots.
- Find a topic relating to culture shock and globalization: to what extent should a certain nation allow its culture to merge with other cultures?
- Support or argue against using a country’s budget for the rebuilding and reformation of ancient buildings.
- Support or argue against the defunding of police, or deformation of the police and replacement with a different form of social control.
- Say you were a straight, conservative family. To what extent would you support the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights in your country?
Easy Argumentative Essay Topics
Looking to keep it simple this time? We also value simplicity. With mountains of research available on the internet and a plethora of solid material covering these easy topics for argumentative essay, you should be scoring high grades in no time.
- Boys versus girls: who is better at excelling academically?
- Should middle schoolers have their internet access limited or controlled by parents?
- Legal cannabis in Europe, good or a bad idea?
- Has religion caused the most wars in humanity, or have humans?
- Does climate change exist regardless of human pollution and greenhouse gas emissions?
- Should children be heavily disciplined, or is it best to let them do their thing?
- Does buying flowers for a girl dramatically increase the chances that she’ll get with you?
- Is veganism actually good for the environment, or should we protect the plants as well?
- Is Elon Musk a good businessman, or is he crazy?
- Has social media made a positive or negative impact on modern society?
- Will Brexit play out well in the long run, or was it a terrible idea?
- Do smartphones cause more harm than the gain to youngsters?
Controversial Argumentative Essay Topics
Sparking some controversy can turn heads and ears on the argument. That’s why many students go for controversial topics for argumentative essay as they can truly stand out from the crowd. Choose whether you wish to support a good cause, or try taking the opposing argument for the hell of it. Here are some controversial topics that are relevant to modern-day.
- Same-sex marriages: choose a country where they’re strictly prohibited, and put yourself in favor or against same sex marriages.
- The feminist movement: support or deconstruct the modern image of feminism.
- Immigration: take a position on the issue of immigration in the USA or in Europe.
- Fashion killers: should big fashion brands be allowed to use animal products in their clothing lines?
- Argue in favor of, or against the modern implementation of Communism in a certain country.
- Argue in favor of, or against using modern cloning technologies to produce more animals for various means (food, clothing, etc.)
- Poland is fighting for abortion rights for women. Which side do you pick?
- Take a utopian novel (such a Brave New World) and argue in favor of, or against, implementing this utopia in the modern day society.
- Imagine the scenario: take the position of Donald Trump in fighting against ‘fake news’ and the constant blackwashing of the president by the media.
- Should California be allowed to withdraw from the United States and become a country?
- Argue in favor of, or against, corporations using cookies and other software to track and record customers’ behavior while browsing their websites.
- Take the position of a certain political party in your city, and make the opposition your counter-argument.
Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School
Middle schoolers often see argumentative essays. Teachers like to throw a challenge and see how these kids produce research and bring evidence to the table, as argumentative writing will be a huge part of high school.
Good argumentative essay topics for middle school students are those that sharpen their critical thinking skills and intrigue them to argue with logic and reasoning. It’s beneficial to prepare these skills for freshman year. Many topics for an argumentative essay for middle school deal with issues that these kids face every day:
- Are bullies not getting the punishment they deserve?
- Video games and real-life violence - correlated or unrelated?
- Do Americans have healthy diets compared to their European counterparts?
- Should middle school students be allowed to pick their own classes?
- Should students in JV or Varsity teams be allowed to leave classes early for sports practice?
- Are celebrities good or bad idols for developing teenagers?
- Should American schools return to stricter dress codes as a means of discipline?
- Argue in favor of or against students having to leave their smartphones at home before going to school.
- Does television offer an accurate representation of modern human beings, or are we spoonfed values and ideas?
- Is arts education truly useless, or can it guarantee a big future like a business education?
- Is pop culture worth studying in school?
- Does school do enough to promote a healthy lifestyle to its students?
Argumentative Essay Topics for College
Students entering college have a lot to say. Fresh out of high school, writing plenty of essays, and finding a school as far away from home as possible, there’s a lot at stake upon transitioning into college. The brightest minds of today compete and share new ideas, expand their cultures and worldviews, and all of this can make fascinating argumentative essay topics for college.
Diving into a new life, with new roommates and sets of classes, the suspense only strengthens. Students, when looking for argumentative essay topics for college, seek to challenge the system, shake up the status quo, and offer new ideas to replace aged values of the past.
- The taxation system in place is ineffective and prone to error, with many exposable loopholes, and putting people in poverty at risk of total bankruptcy. Argue for or against.
- Men do the bulk of the job in any business; therefore, it’s only natural that they receive higher paychecks than women. Argue for or against.
- William Shakespeare has shaped the English language; however, his lingering presence in most college courses is a setback. Leave Shakespeare in high school. Argue for or against.
- College tuition is not worth its cost, as most students end up in high debt without the promise of a sustainable career. Argue for or against.
- Test scores do not fully show the adequacy and skill of a given student, they’re merely additional stress factors, and students don’t perform at their best during any testing. Argue for or against.
- Support the idea that having a College degree paves the way for a better future.
- Corporations are using social media to manipulate the tastes of the masses and brainwash us into buying their products. The social media advertisement machine must be destroyed. Argue for or against.
- The absence of religious teaching in modern society has drawn us back as a community, as there are important values that are ignored and overshadowed by religion’s bloody past. Support this argument, or disprove.
- Although modern life is made easier with technology, students are faced with immense levels of pressure that their organisms aren’t used to. Life was better when it was slow. Support or dispute.
- The past does not define who the person is, as everybody can change and become better in the future: support or dispute.
- Guns will never be illegal in the USA, as they’re part of every American’s first amendment rights, and if the constitution gets changed, then no law holds strong. Argue or support.
- Healthcare should offer STD tests for free to all members of society.
- Argue in favor of or against same-gender parenting.
- Relationships have changed in the time of social media; people move on faster and hunger for more physical satisfaction as it’s more accessible, pushing society closer towards polygamy. Support or dispute.
- Book smart vs street smart. Pick a side, and argue in favor of one being better in terms of building a sustainable business and career.
- The fashion industry promotes bad values to teenagers, especially with fast fashion movements, which promote heavy consumerism, an addictive characteristic of fashion which is bad for the kids: support or dispute.
- Physical disciplining of kids should not be a cause for locking a parent up in jail in the USA. Instead, certain levels of it should be allowed. Support or dispute.
- All medical centers should be able to offer health support to somebody without money, rather than leaving them to suffer and die. The medical system, in general, should be more affordable. Argue or support.
- Bob Dylan’s lyrics should be taught in literature classes. Argue or support.
- Product placement in musical lyrics should be censored on YouTube. Product placement of any kind in a piece of entertainment is manipulation and should not be promoted in our society: support, or dispute.