What Are Good Topics for an Argumentative Essay: 40 Ideas

Picking an argumentative essay topic can be tough, but it is not impossible. What you need is a good understanding of what makes a topic argumentative and how to choose the right one for your particular situation.

This article will highlight various argumentative essay topics you can use for your essay, and how to write parts of an argumentative essay.

Argumentative essay outline

The first step in creating an argumentative essay is to choose a topic. Choose a topic that you are genuinely interested in, as this will help you write better.

The outline for writing an argumentative essay includes an argumentative essay rubric (a convincing power), others include:

• Claim
• Reason
• Evidence
• Counter-down
• Rebuttal

Below are the tips for writing an argumentative essay outline:

1. Starting with the primary topic

If you are looking for a topic that is interesting to you, then the first thing to consider is what your primary argument will be about. Your primary topic is the thing about which you will spend most of your time writing about. 

2. Decide what your position is

Before you can begin to choose an argumentative essay topic, you will need to decide what your position is. This means taking a stand as to whether you are in support or opposition to the subject matter.

3. Brainstorm for your argumentative essay

Brainstorming is a great way to generate ideas. You can use it as an opportunity to think about the relevance of your topic and your strategy for convincing your reader. 

4. Think about your audience

The most important thing to do is to think about your audience. Who are they? What do you know about them? How will they react to your argumentative essay topic? How do you argue your point with them?

5. Do not choose topics that are too broad

You should only pick broad topics if you have a strong argument to make, and that means having enough evidence to support it. If you do not have enough evidence, then your thesis will be unclear and difficult to write about. A topic that is too broad is hard to write about because it lacks focus.

6. Find evidence to support your claims

Finding evidence to support your claims is key to an argument. If you cannot find convincing evidence, then it will be difficult for others to support what you have written.

Argumentative essay topics

Below are some of the best argumentative essay topic ideas you can choose from when writing your next essay. All the prompts are still open for comment, so you can find inspiration for any kind of assignment.

Argumentative essay topics about sports

1. Should student-athletes be paid?
2. Is cheerleading a sport?
3. Is golf a sport?
4. Should motorcyclists have helmets?
5. Should boxing be legal?
6. Should players caught using steroids still be allowed to play?
7. Is horse racing ethical?
8. Should there be age restrictions on professional athletes?
9. Should soccer matches in Europe be considered truly safe for American fans

Argumentative essay topics about technology

10. Can data make a computer truly intelligent?
11. Robots take over the world
12. Artificial intelligence: The good vs the bad
13. Are our brains being replaced with computer chips?
14. Should animals be used for scientific research?
15. Global warming: a real threat to modern society
16. Will computers replace teachers in the classroom?
17. Should people use facial recognition or iris scanners on their home computers?

Argumentative essay topics for middle school

18. Do fast food restaurants contribute to obesity?
19. College athletes should be paid for playing
20. Are test scores a good indication of a school’s competency?
21. Should teachers have to pass the basic skills test every ten years to renew their certification?

Psychology argumentative essay topics

22. Does autism affect the parent-child relationship?
23. Does social media cause narcissism?
24. Does social media cause depression?
25. Is the placebo effect real?
26. Do violent video games cause people to be more violent in real life?
27. Can PTSD be caused by childhood trauma?
28. Is it possible to recover from schizophrenia?
29. Social media: a menace to academic performances in school
30. Is culture a hindrance to mental illness diagnosis and treatment methods?
31. Should conversion therapy make someone heterosexual or cisgender be banned for adults, minors, or both?

Social media argumentative essay topics

32. Social media makes people more narcissistic
33. Social media causes depression
34. Social networking sites make people feel isolated
35. Sites like Facebook and Twitter make it easy for people to be mean
36. Social media users lie about how happy they are on social media
37. Social media platforms help spread false information quickly
38. People use social media to change their life batteries
39. Screen time limitations should be regulated. 
40. Abortion should be legalized

Conclusion

Remember, this is not just about choosing your topic but also about making sure your topic is debatable and relevant to the audience. You can do this by researching the relevant topics in your field, or those that you find naturally interesting.