Top 50 Argumentative Essay Topics

Some students misconstrue that an argumentative essay needs to be inflammatory to be provocative. This is not necessarily so. The premise of an argumentative essay is to use logic and reasoning to establish a position on the subject in hand. This is done through investigation, collection and evaluation of evidence and formulation of a conclusion, with the ideas and results presented in a concise manner. The amount of the investigation and evaluation of evidence depends on the complexity of the subject and how many different sides of the argument there are, but doing things superficially will not result in an argumentative essay with substance.

1. Race is a US issue that has never gone away
2. Culture and society: does culture matter?
3. The tyranny of cultural and societal customs
4. How significant is global warming – truly?
5. All that glisters is not gold, but some is
6. The impact of advertising
7. The dignity of labor
8. The evils of half-knowledge
9. The evils of poverty
10. The green revolution
11. Child abuse breeds child abuse
12. The place of literature in education
13. The problem of industrialism
14. The problem of national integration
15. The problem of over-population
16. The advantages of desktop computers over laptops
17. Is assisted suicide actually murder?
18. Airport security checks have gone too far
19. For and against Instagram
20. Security cameras are an infringment of personal privacy
21. Foodies are really just food snobs
22. The culture of celebrity worship is illogical
23. Humanity is alone in the universe
24. Genetically modified food should be used to tackle hunger
25. You eat too much fast food
26. All high school students should take parenting classes
27. Should childhood immunization be mandatory?
28. Public transportation should be free
29. Fracking is an environmental blight
30. If marijuana has medical benefits shouldn’t it be legalized?
31. Does free speech simply mean hate speech is ok?
32. Are pre-employment drug tests an infringement of personal privacy rights?
33. There should be no commercial breaks during children’s programs
34. Jane Austen is more influential than Kim Kardashian
35. The Catcher in the Rye is overrated as a literary work
36. Crying is not a sign of weakness in a man
37. The internet has killed verbal communication
38. Conflict is healthy in a relationship
39. Fraternities and sororoties have no use outside of college
40. Students can boost their employability with extra-curricular activities
41. Brainstorming in a corporate setting is a waste of energy
42. Governments should not bail out bankrupt businesses
43. PIPA and SOPA are ineffectual against online piracy
44. Social media is the cheapest and most effective advertising channel
45. The concept of “Big Brother” truly exists
46. Social media has changed the way we write and speak
47. Food fads like gluten-free are more dangerous than good
48. Innovation is making us lazy
49. There is a case for Wikileaks as a force for good
50. There is no truth to the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”