Top 100+ Controversial Essay Topics

Are you a student looking for a controversial essay topic? Are you tired of the same old essay topics? You are just not sure where to start. Here are some examples of controversial essay topics you can use to write your essay.

Controversial essay topics on education

Education is an important part of everyone’s life, as it influences our future. Children as young as five years old are already in school learning a lot of things such as discipline, reading and writing, math skills, music, and so forth.

Today, education is on the priority list when it comes to issues that need to be resolved.

Sample controversial essay topics on education:

1. Colleges should not be ranked.
2. Education should be free for everyone.
3. Is college worth it?
4. School bullying should be punishable by law.
5. Should corporal punishment be allowed in schools?
6. What is the relationship between teacher and student like?
7. Is it true that teachers have a negative influence on students?
8. Is homework helpful or harmful to students?
9. Should teachers punish students who do not complete their homework?
10. Should students wear uniforms when attending school?
11. How has technology affected education?
12. How do parents influence their children’s educational experience?
13. The role of teachers in the classroom and what makes them effective.
14. The effects of social class and race on who gets ahead in school.
15. Should students pay for extra-curricular activities in schools?
16. Ending school early: a good idea?
17. Are video games beneficial for school-going kids?
18. The problem with private schooling and why it should be abolished.
19. Public schools should not force children to learn something they are not interested in.
20. Do teachers make a difference?
21. Current globalized education systems are too narrowly focused, underfunded, and ultimately ineffective.
22. Current globalized education systems rely heavily on memorization.
23. Current globalized education systems ignore the role of languages in a world economy.
24. The current education system is not working well for disadvantaged students.
25. Public education vs. private education.
26. Homeschool vs. public school.
27. Standardized testing should be abolished.
28. Teachers should have more control over the curriculum.

Controversial essay topics about philosophy

The main questions philosophy attempt to answer is what makes us human, how we should behave, and how we can find meaning in life.

Sample controversial essay topics on philosophy:

1. Atheism vs. Theism
2. Ethics: What is the right thing to do?
3. Free will: Can I choose to act differently from what I have done in the past?
4. Does man destroy himself by his own free will?
5. What exists, and how do we know about the nature of reality?
6. What is the nature of moral values and duties?
7. What is the nature of the mind and consciousness?
8. Is morality objective or subjective? Does it exist independently, or is it a human invention?
9. What is justice? Is it something we create or something we discover? Is justice different depending on who you are and where you live?
10. It is said that virtue results in prosperity, but what happens if you derive prosperity from vice?
11. Is it alright to hoard resources even though there are people who have none?
12. Is it proper to lie so that others can live better?
13. Are animals participants in their own life?
14. We all have things we want to change about our own lives and about the world. What are you working for? What do you think should be changed first?
15. What is Man?
16. Self-Consciousness.
17. The theory of being.
18. Religion within the boundaries of mere reason.
19. Why do we feel the need to be the best, even if it means hurting other people’s feelings and sacrificing our own happiness?
20. Quest for Meaning. What is meaningful, or has meaning, to me and why? Why do certain things really matter to me? What is life about?
21. What does it mean to live an examined life?
22. What does: “The unexamined life is not worth living” mean, and why is it significant?
23. Can we resolve all philosophical disagreements? Do they all have solutions that are at least partially accessible to human reason?
24. Is it possible to know everything?
25. How can we be happy?
26. Why are humans so violent?
27. What makes people do what they do?
28. What is the difference between right and wrong and good and bad?
29. We are the source of our own suffering by not being fully alive. Discuss.
30. Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains. Discuss.
31. Does time exist outside of our perception of it?

Controversial essay topics about the environment

If you’re writing a paper on the environment, then chances are you’re going to write on a controversial topic. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of these as people debate how best to preserve the environment. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Sample controversial essay topics on the environment:

1. Climate change and global warming.
2. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetic engineering.
3. Overpopulation and overconsumption.
4. Endangered species protection and poaching.
5. Wildlife management vs. animal rights.
6. Is global warming dangerous?
7. Does famine cause scarcity of food?
8. Land use and deforestation.
9. Public beaches should have a total ban on plastic bag usage.
10. More steps should be taken against the manufacturer of plastic products.
11. Carpooling is one of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions.
12. Who do you think is responsible for the current state of our oceans?
13. Should the government take a more active role in managing our natural resources?
14. What changes can be made to lessen the adverse impact on the environment?
15. How can mankind be responsible for parts of the earth to ensure he can live on it for many years to come?

Science, biology, and health controversial essay topics

Everyone likes to talk about science. It’s one of those subjects we’re supposed to know a lot about, but in reality, most individuals are just doing their best to “stay up to speed” on the latest developments in the field.

Science is constantly evolving, and this opens up a lot of doors for controversial topics that may be difficult for the average individual to have an informed opinion about.

The following is a list of examples that you can use to get started:

1. An apple a day does not keep the doctor away.
2. Big pharma is making more people sick.
3. Obesity is a pandemic.
4. Fast food should be banned in the United States.
5. Environmental pollution can be reduced by the government.
6. Climate change is not real.
7. How do we separate facts from myths about global warming?
8. Does the Bermuda triangle really exist?
9. Why is organic farming better than traditional farming and vice versa?
10. The cloning debate.
11. Does brain elimination exist?
12. Why are all bugs good for the environment?
13. Is de-extinction a good idea?
14. Cloning should be legal/illegal for human beings.
15. Is AI hazardous to humans?
16. Is Mars colonization a viable option?
17. Can stem cell research lead to better health?
18. Stem cell research is about progress, hope, and possibility.
19. Was the world made in 6 days?
20. Animal testing may seem cruel and unnecessary, but it has contributed to many scientific advancements in medicine, cosmetics, and food production. Discuss.
21. Is Darwinism just a haven for weird science?
22. Why should we let invasive species live?
23. Is it unethical to kill animals in controlled hunting for food and survival?
24. Genetic engineering in plants.
25. The effects of pollution on humans.
26. Do we really need to eat three meals a day?
27. Eight glasses of water every day. A hoax or fact.
28. Organic and fresh. The real facts about mass-produced foodstuff.
29. Should humans have pets?
30. The human body is still a mystery.
31. Supplements are a hoax.
32. Is sugar bad for you?
33. Bang, Pow, Crash! Theology Explained.
34. GMOs are necessary in today’s world.
35. GMO labeling should be mandatory.
36. GMOs pose no danger to the average person.
37. Is coffee good or bad?
38. The link between coffee consumption and anxiety disorders.
39. The connection between coffee consumption and the development of cardiovascular diseases.
40. Is time travel a real possibility?

You might also like: 100+ Essay Topics on Mental Health

Controversial essay topics on law

Law is one of the most controversial academic disciplines. It is a subfield of social science where people try to make sense of the world of laws and rules.

Sample controversial essay topics on law:

1. Should the death penalty be abolished?
2. Abortion is a human rights issue.
3. Is euthanasia right?
4. Should we legalize drugs?
5. Should marijuana be legalized?
6. Should people be allowed to own guns?
7. The court bias against women.
8. Minimum wage changes should be based on inflation.
9. Free speech vs. censorship.
10. The internet has blurred the lines between right and wrong.
11. Inappropriate images of children are all over the web, should hard but necessary action be taken?
12. Is it right to jail people for owning a weapon?
13. Should criminals be given drug therapy? Please explain your answer
14. The use of torture is acceptable in limited circumstances; do you agree?
15. Gay marriage should be legal in all states.
16. Should the legal drinking age be lowered to 18?
17. What is the place of free speech on campus?
18. Jailing criminals is a waste of money.
19. If it wasn’t for jail, we’d all be at risk.
20. People sent to jail should be forced to get a job there.
21. Long sentences are a waste of the government’s resources.

Wrapping up!

Controversy allows you to think critically. Not only does this let you become a more informed citizen, but it also gives you real-world experience in separating fact from fiction. And in a time when “fake news” is easy to find on the internet, it’s never too late to learn how to think critically and analytically.

If you choose to write about a controversial topic, it is best to do enough of your research beforehand. You don’t want to present incorrect information to your professor —that defeats the whole purpose of writing an essay like this in the first place.