topics for your philosophy paper (2024)

Here are some of the most talked-about topics right now. Each entry is linked to a Wikipedia article. Look at the table on the left-hand side of the Wikipedia entry and find the different angles "FOR" and "AGAINST" any given topic. If you don't see the arguments "against" the topic in the entry, you must do your research (and I'll help). 

NEVER CITE WIKIPEDIA IN YOUR PAPER; INSTEAD, LOOK AT THE WIKIPEDIA CITATIONS AND CITE THEM.  


Abortion or pro-life?

(after the recent ruling by the Supreme Court striking Roe vs. Wade, still a critical topic and very much a political issue, the topic concerns moral, religious, and psychological views) 

factory farms and/or animal welfare

(generally little appreciated, this topic takes an ecological and human/animal dimension: the link between animal-processed foods, environmental degradation, and vegetarianism, all tied to the still obscure field of animal ethics).

same-sex marriage vs. traditional marriage

(a topic at the intersection of personal vs. religious freedom, traditional marriage, secularism, legislation, homosexuality, human rights, cultural consensus, etc).

gun control vs. second amendment

(a problem intersecting Second Amendment rights, civil rights, policy, government interference, mental health, terrorism).

social media & culture 

(privacy issues, information overload, cyberbullying, fake news, social isolation, net addiction, etc).

climate change 

(global warming is very much at the forefront of today's scientific and sociopolitical discourse; many issues here are worth discussing: what's nature? Generational responsibility, presentism, economic growth, etc).

socialism vs. capitalism

Here is the opportunity to write about the philosophy of politics. 

me too vs. me too critics (to be completed) 

Issues of rightful accusation of inappropriate behavior or simply unfounded accusations. 

Capital Punishment vs. Abolitionism