List of topics to debate on in 2021!

 

Debates are contests in which people argue two opposite sides of an idea or topic – typically in for or against terms. Discussions often aim to reach an agreement that is mutually conducive rather than a definitive conclusion  as is often the case in legal proceedings. The beauty of this is that one learns to view both sides of an argument and the relevant points that each option might have. Convincing someone of the validity of an idea that they did not agree to before listening to the debate's ends is the most satisfying. This is why arguments are often compared to sports.

Students often have trouble choosing a good debate topic. If you are nervous about taking part in a debate, remember that discussions are fun events.They might be slightly challenging to prepare for, but you can excel in a debate with the right topics and the proper preparation. A confident and passionate debater can work with the hardest of issues and argue controversial issues, making a discussion exciting and informative.

 

Choosing a Good Debatable Topic is Important

An exciting and meaningful debate requires a vital debate topic. Controversial topics make for the best debate topics as they present the debaters on both sides with plenty of points to argue. Make sure you choose a subject you are familiar with or passionate about. Picking a topic of amoderate difficulty level works wonders for debates. It is advisable to keep in mind the situation or context of the debate. For example,if you are taking part in a middle school debate, it may be wise to avoid political topics and stick to topics everyone would be familiar with.

Here are some debate topics, organized categorically:

 

Debate Topics for High School

1. Does homework promote learning?
2. Is a college education essential to get a job?
3. Should mobile phones be banned in school or college?
4. Should students be allowed to pick their subjects or curriculum?
5. Should abortion be legal?
6. Should teenagers be allowed to play violent videogames?
7. Can social media contribute to teenage suicide?
8. Is social media, contrary to its name, make people less social?
9. Is the way society deals with teenage pregnancy appropriate?
10. Is higher education a prerequisite to financial success?

Topics Related to Education

1. Do private schools impart better education than public schools?
2. Should education be solely handled by private institutions?
3. Are student loans more exploitative than helpful?
4. Does a traditional classroom environment adequately address the needs of contemporary society?
5. Should teachers on campus be armed to ensure the safety of students?
6. Does a traditional grading system adequately analyze a student's skills and potential?
7. Should all higher education be free?
8. Should religion be taught as a subject in school?
9. Are home-schooling and traditional schooling equivalent methods of imparting education?
10. Is demanding all students to learn at least one foreign language beneficially?

 

Social Debate Topics

1. Does contemporary policing of marginalized communities contribute to the criminalization of youth?
2. Should the death penalty be abolished?
3. hould marijuIs it ethical to deny women the right to abortion?
4. Will electronic databases fully substitute standard libraries?
5. Is cloning ethically acceptable?
6. Should euthanasia be legalized?
7. Should minimum wages be increased?
8. Should drug addicts be helped or punished for their addiction?
9. Is patriotism a deterrent to globalization, or does it aid globalization. 

Environment and Environmental Issues Debate Topics

1. Can climate change still be reversed?
2. Should plastic bags and packaging be banned?
3. Can genetically modified foods solve the hunger problem?
4. Are zoos ethical?
5. Effects of tourism on the environment?
6. Should there be more national parks?
7. Should fracking be banned?
8. Will veganism be useful in the long run?
9. What is an organic farming role in agriculture future?
10. Are our live animal exports ethically acceptable? 

 

Political Debate Topics

1. Politicians should organize political campaigns with the money borrowed from corporations.
2. Democracy is the best government system.
3. Should governments be able to curb the freedom of speech of speech and expression enjoyed by their residents?
4. Are taxes accelarating taxes fair on taxpayers?
5. Former offenders should not lose the right to vote.
6. Are modern patterns of imprisonment, unfairly arresting people belonging to ethnic minorities more than whites, contributing to the racism problem?
7. Is it necessary for political leader to be present in social media nowadays?
8. Does the constituion stand the tests of time in line with present society or should it be updated?

 

ParentingDebate Topics

1. Should children use smartphones without supervision?
2. Should teenage girls have access to birth control medicines without parental supervision?
3. Should parents pick out a career for their children?
4. Do parents always treat their children fairly?
5. Is it ethically acceptable for parents to pick the genders of their future children?
6. What are the pros and cons of gay couples adopting children?
7. Should parents monitor their children's activities on social media?
8. Does parental supervision lead to coddling and helicopter parenting?
9.  Should parents allow their teenagers to have complete autonomy in making decisions about their lives?
10. Is it possible for children to succeed without any parental support or involvement?

 

Technology Debate Topics

1. Will technology make people lazier and incapable of thinking for themselves?
2. Shoud artificial intelligence be viewed as adanger or a blessing?
3. Can robots successfully increase the average quality of lifeenjoyed by people?
4. How does advancement in technology influence us and the environment we live in?
5. Will humans successfully colonize Mars or another planet in the near future?
6.  Does extraterrestrial life exist?
7. Why is the colonization of Mars important?
8. Does technology meerly add to human communication or detter it?
9. Recent developments in technology have led to people havinng a more diverse set of interests and hobbies?
10. Can technology actually save the environment instead of ruining it?
11. Do laws effectively keep up with changes in technology?

6.  

Healthcare Debate Topics

1. Are you justifying the legalization of recreational marijuana from the perspective of modern healthcare?
2. Is mandatory vaccination a means of ensuring the proper health of the population?
3. Alternative medicine and its impact on the healthcare future.
4. Does technology promote human health?
5. Meat-based and vegetarian diets are equally healthy.
6. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder)/ ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) should be medicated.
7. Free access to condoms prevents teen pregnancies.
8. Addiction is a disease and not a choice.

9.    Abortion should be legal worldwide.

10.  Chocolate is Healthy

11.  Why has Electroconvulsive Therapy been stopped

12.  The Dark World of Diet Pills

13.  Moral Dilemma surrounding Euthanasia

14.  Do Homeopathic Treatments Work?

15. Can competition improve healthcare services qualities?

LeisureDebate Topics

1. Is summer vacation better than winter vacation?
2. Encouraging teenagers to read books: are outcomes worth efforts?
3. How technology changed the way young people spend their leisure?
4. Has leisure decreased quality since social media introduction?
5. Can high-quality daily leisure substitute wholesome vacation?
6. Is leisure essential for workplace effectiveness?
7. Playing video games during leisure: pros and cons.
8. Has the work-life balance concept changed with Internet development?
9. Have globalization, and people's increased mobility changed the leisure concept?
10. Women spend their leisure time differently than men.

Financial and Policy Matters Debate Topics

1. Immigration
2. Pros and Cons of Brexit
3. Free Trade Agreements
4. Significant Women in Politics
5. Rise of Representation in Politics
6. Should Communism be Promoted
7. The Ugly Side of Capitalism
8. Can the current US government ensure the country's financial stability?
9. How secure is mobile banking?
10. Does crediting promote or hinder economic country development?
11. Is there any economic justification for wars?
12. Should wealthy people pay higher taxes than the poor?
13. How would lowering the voting age impact American society's future?
14. Mass incarceration and its impact on US government representativeness.
15. Mandatory financial education: pros and cons.
16. Should online financial advice be available for free to every country citizen?
17. Can high profitability alone justify environmentally unsafe practices?

 

Historical Debate Topics

1. History is an important subject all students should learn.
2. Is King Arthur a real historical figure or myth?
3. Knowledge of history enriches one’s worldview: yes or no?
4. What role did Britain play during the First World War?
5. How different historians interpret World War Two?
6. Were there any justifications for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US?
7. Revolutionary War Interpretation.
8. Ancient Roman culture versus contemporary culture.
9. History & its impact on the future.
10. Modern interracial conflicts evaluation from a historical perspective.

 

Controversial DebateTopics

1. Are men stronger than women?
2. Daydreaming versus night dreaming: which is better?
3. Communication between sexes: do men and women have different approaches?
4. Choosing the best pizza topping: healthy versus tasty.
5. Do fairy tales affect children’s reality perception?
6. Is living together before marriage appropriate nowadays?
7. Should teenage students get after-school jobs?
8. Teenagers explain their deviant behaviors by referring to peer pressure as a significant reason.
9. Gender and life expectancy: what factors explain gaps all over the world?
10. From a historical perspective, are women smarter than men?

 

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List of Argumentative Topics for debates or discussions (1000 words)

 

Argumentative topics are trendy in group discussions. Whether one is in a job interview or just a part of a group discussion in a class, argumentative topics break the ice sometimes, or sometimes they make people aware of each other’s thought processes. Most of the topics come from studying, such as English, History, and Political Science. These topics get assigned in the group for the moderator to see how well one can support their points of reasoning. 

 

Here is a list of argumentative topics that are very commonly assigned. 

 

Family

 

Family is a topic that encompasses multiple controversial sub-topics. It could range from arguments such as “should we follow the traditions” or “should LGBTQ+ people be allowed to adopt children”. Such topics that have ethics and morals attached to them are controversial. It makes people see what the other person has to say in support or against the situation. 

Since times are now changing, and people are becoming more liberal and open-minded in their thoughts and actions and ways of living, there is still a significant population that still lives and follows the conservative practices. This leads to conflict among masses as their ways of living differ from each other- frequently ending with one party endangering the other party. 

Some of the argumentative topics related to family are:

1: Should parents of the same gender, or the LGBTQ+ community be allowed to adopt children?

2: Should a parent physically discipline their child?

3: Is a single-parent house more toxic for a child’s growth?

4: Should Child Services be allowed to take the child away from their parents if they fear the child’s safety?

5: Do same-sex couples make better or worse parents?

6: Should families have a television in the house or not?

7: Should parents monitor their child’s activities?

8: Do bedtime stories help in children’s growth?

9: Should a woman stay back at home to look after her children, or should she go outside and work?

10: Are house-husbands incompetent in providing bread to the family, by choosing to quit a job and look after the house and kids?

 

Society

 

The definition of us comes with the society that we reside. It becomes a part of our personalities, and we pass this on to future generations. Our actions, behaviours, ways of thinking, and how we interact- it all gets defined by society. This influence roots deep from the families we are in, the relatives we have, the friends we interact with, the schools we attend, the community we live in.

While the above is a general statement, every individual is characterised by different situations that they have come across. The world is changing and so is are the societies that we are a part of. With changing times comes changing thinking processes, and every time there is a disagreement- conflict arises. 

When two parties of a different mindset, different times, come together and exchange thoughts- conflict is bound to happen. Here are some of the argumentative topics related to society. 

1: Should abortion be legal?

2: Should a father have any rights in abortion?

3: Should it be an offence to bully a person from the LGBTQ+ community?

4: Should worship places (churches, temples, mosques) be a part of politics and law-making policies?

5: Is the death penalty too much?

6: Should countries have a separate tax system that supports the homeless and needy?

7: Does diversity increase tension in the workplace?

8: Do you believe that assisted suicide should be legal?

9: Should some drugs be legalised?

10: Is eating animals wrong?

 

Ethics

 

Ethics work with the idea of one taking morally right decisions. Most of the time, it ends up with discussions in support and against the topic. And since the controversial issue is involved, it becomes hard to pick sides because both the conflicts have valid points to support their arguments. 

By understanding the problem more, we may be able to uplift more layers of the problem and see where the person is coming from. Here are a few argumentative topics on ethical issues: 

1: Is it ethical for a doctor to deny treatment to a patient who cannot afford to pay the fees?

2: Is it ethical for police to abuse the power that comes with the uniform?

3: Is it ethical for an unlicensed person to give therapy to people with mental illnesses?

4: Should someone be allowed to use a gun to protect their home?

5: Is it ethical to have registered sex offenders have their names listed on public registries?

6: Should sex-work be a legal career?

7: Do you think marijuana should be legalised?

8: Should hunting be made legal?

9: Is eating meat cruelty to animals?

10: Are animal farms ethical and cruelty-free? 

With some of the topics listed above, one can participate in group discussions where questions are often left on an open-ended term.

 

Education

 

Education is one of the most critical factors that help in shaping our future and building our personalities. The right to education is given to everyone but doesn’t reach everyone due to multiple factors. Hence, the ruling party or the state must keep a check on how things are running. It makes things harmonious between different communities and backgrounds, but it also helps balance the differences between the privileged and the underprivileged communities. 

Here is a list of argumentative topics related to education:

1: Should children with special needs be included in regular classes?

2: Should standard tests determine the future of children?

3: Should teachers and students be friends?

4: Should the curriculum be decided by the local communities or the state?

5: What are the drawbacks of traditional education?

6: How can parents help the student learn better in a classroom?

7: Compare the learning methodologies in 20th and 21st century?

8: What are the benefits of traditional education?

9: Should special schools be a part of regular schools? Or should they be a different institution in itself?

10: Should outdoor classes be made mandatory?

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Argumentative Topics Great for Debates

 

Debates are used in job interviews, schools, and universities to judge the participants' critical thinking and reasoning skills and their ability to present an argument well. It assesses how you think, your political leanings, how passionately yet calmy and articulately you can present yourself a way of thinking, your point of view, and their political leaning. The arguments put forward in support of the case can make or break the interview or discussion.  

 A debate is a battlefield of two opposing ideas. People from the opposing sides discuss topics together to find out the ideologies of either side. In most cases, the debate ends with both parties' agreement instead of just one party winning an argument. Although- even reaching a contract is a challenging task. The person must possess incredible convincing skills to even come to the point where the other party would agree to their terms. A debate is not merely just a debate- it is often like a game of chess. One has to be very careful picking their arguments to support their point of view, or else, the power goes to the opposing side.  

How can you choose an excellent debate topic?  

Great topics are an essential part of building an exciting and informative debate, so it is crucial to research well to decide on a debate topic. Whether you are in school or university, it is vital to choose from controversial issues. Controversial issues make up for an exciting debate as both the parties and the audience see the different ideologies both the opponents possess.   

The debate topic is a necessary term, and students should choose topics from an area that already interests them. Picking up a challenging topic would only result in your downfall. For example, middle school debates do not have to be too political, as politics might be too complicated and tangled for the kids to understand entirely. They could choose from the topics like "should uniform be compulsory in schools?" or "should cell phones be allowed in school?".  

Finally, when you choose a topic, consider how happy you are with the issue? Does it excite you and make you want to spend more time researching about it? Great debate topics, most of the time, bring out the best in us.  

  

How should you behave during a debate? 

No matter how excited or confident we feel, there are certain etiquettes that everyone must follow when participating in a debate. Here are some standard guidelines on this.   

• Maintain the right posture.   

• Be clear and loud.    

• Maintain eye contact  

• Be calm  

• Concentrate on what you have to say  

• Listen actively and be polite.  

  

What to do while you are preparing for the debate  

If there is no lack of time- make sure that the topic you chose is well researched. There should be a central argument (your topic) and multiple subtopics to defend your primary argument. Preparing for a debate is just like preparing a research paper.  

You must ensure that you understand your selected topic. Your understanding of the topic will help your audience grasp the topic more easily and clearly. To be genuinely well-prepared for your debate, think of counter-arguments to the ideas you presented and arm yourself with answers to those arguments backed up by research. 

While on the topic of presenting ideas backed up by research, make sure you credit your arguments, especially if you present data. If you miss out on this, the opponent can easily question the credibility of the facts or figures you presented. 

Try to make your introduction statement exciting and engaging. This will capture the audiences' attention. Emotional content in your debate holds more attention. A passionate, well-researched, and well-organized argument makes the audience feel connected. 

Prepare an overview, including an introduction, your main arguments, and counter-arguments. Don't hesitate to ask your friends and family for inputs or constructive criticism. They may be able to provide you with more counter-arguments that you hadn't thought of before, help you identify points that the opponent might raise so that you are prepared for them, or even help you refine your current arguments. It would be best if you always asked for feedback while preparing for a debate. Ensure that your debate sounds convincing and work on areas that may need improvement to make your points stronger. 

Finally, format your work to the best of your knowledge, using grammar checkers like Grammarly or ginger. Incorrect grammar puts people off, and you can't go wrong if your work is well-formatted. 

 

 

 

 

Here is a list of debate topics: 

1: Society  

2: Family  

3: History  

4: Law  

5: Ethics  

6: Sports  

7: Art  

8: Politics 

9: Education  

10: Health  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Society   

1. Does contemporary policing of marginalized communities contribute to the criminalization of youth? 

2. Should the death penalty be abolished? 

3. Is it ethical to deny women the right to abortion? 

4. Will electronic databases fully substitute standard libraries? 

5. Is cloning ethically acceptable? 

6. Is the legalization of marijuana a good idea? 

7. Should euthanasia be legalized? 

8. Should minimum wages be increased? 

9. Should drug addicts be helped or punished for their addiction? 

10. Is patriotism a deterrent to globalization, or does it aid globalization? 

 

11.  Should abortion be legal?  

12.  Is diversity good or bad?  

13. Are the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community real or not?  

14. Should the temple play a part in law-making activities?  

15.  Is the death penalty necessary?  

 

 

 

 

 

Family  

1.  Does contemporary policing of marginalized communities contribute to the criminalization of youth? 

2. Should the death penalty be abolished? 

3. Is it ethical to deny women the right to abortion? 

4. Will electronic databases fully substitute standard libraries? 

5. Is cloning ethically acceptable? 

6. Is the legalization of marijuana a good idea? 

7. Should euthanasia be legalized? 

8. Should minimum wages be increased? 

9. Should drug addicts be helped or punished for their addiction? 

10. Is patriotism a deterrent to globalization, or does it aid globalization? 

11. Should parents of same-sex be allowed to adopt kids?  

12. Is it okay to physically discipline your child?  

13. Do children thrive with a single parent or two parents?  

14. Do people from LGBTQ+ communities make better parents or no?  

 

 

History  

 

Does contemporary policing of marginalized communities contribute to the criminalization of youth? 

Should the death penalty be abolished? 

Is it ethical to deny women the right to abortion? 

Will electronic databases fully substitute standard libraries? 

Is cloning ethically acceptable? 

Is the legalization of marijuana a good idea? 

Should euthanasia be legalized? 

Should minimum wages be increased? 

Should drug addicts be helped or punished for their addiction? 

Is patriotism a deterrent to globalization, or does it aid globalization? 

Some of the significant events in this area were law, constitutions, understanding and building capitalism, separation of kingdoms or powerful states.   

Some of the questions that can be raised for the debate are:   

Was colonialism necessary for the development of countries?  

Were Adolf Hitler's actions justified?  

Do you believe that the United States of America was right in expelling Native Americans from their land?   

What impacts are on the world today with the Mexico-US war? How did it start?  

  

  

 Law  

 

Is a non-vegan diet animal abuse? 

Should scientists be punished for non-ethical experimental practices? 

 Should judges base their rulings on the evidence even if they are fake?  

Should Supreme Court judges be appointed for life? 

 Should abortion be made a punishable offense?  

Should juries be more diverse? 

Is it a violation of human rights to torture criminals?  

Is it okay to keep prisoners in jails for marijuana trafficking even after being declared legal in some states?   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ethics  

Here are a few questions that can be asked about this topic.   

Do you believe that the priest and psychologist have the right to remain silent even in front of the police?  

Should someone be allowed to use a gun to defend themselves?  

Is it morally okay to tell half-lies instead of telling the entire truth, even if it is more painful to take?  

Should reservations exist based on caste, race?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education  

 

1. Education for the differently-abled 

2. Education for Special needs children 

3. Importance of Adult schooling 

4. Night school 

5. Impact of Education on Economy 

6. Education as a right 

7. Educating the female child 

8. Importance of regularly updating the curriculum 

9. Should children be allowed to pick their courses? 

10. Teacher-student interactions 

11. Should teachers be paid more 

12. Do test scores determine a student's intelligence. 

13. Is our education practical? 

14.        Should children with special needs have a particular school, or should they be taught in regular schools?  

15.       Should teachers be friends with their students?  

16.       Is traditional education better or not?  

17.       Can parents help in making the class better?  

 

Health  

 

1. Are you justifying the legalization of recreational marijuana from the perspective of modern healthcare: yes or no? 

2. Is mandatory vaccination a means of ensuring the proper health of the population? 

3. Alternative medicine and its impact on the healthcare future. 

4. Does technology promote human health? 

5. Modern healthcare and antibiotics. 

6. Is drug legalization sound from the perspective of healthcare? 

7. Does globalization promote universal healthcare? 

8. Should healthcare services for all citizens be fully funded by governments? 

9. Healthcare and politics: should one field be utterly autonomous from another? 

10. Can competition improve healthcare services qualities? 

11. Should people be provided with free healthcare?  

12. Should abortions be free of cost?  

13. Should sanitary napkins, cups, tampons be made free for people who menstruate?  

14. Is addiction to any substance a disease?  

 

 

 

SPORTS 

 

1. Sports for All Ages 

2. Worst Sporting Trades through History  

3. Dangers of Gymnastics 

4. Drug Abuse in the Sports Industry 

5. Trans people in Sports 

6. Most Popular Sports in the World 

7. Why are Sports Engaging to watch  

8. Community spirit in Sports 

9. Gladiator Fighting as a sport 

10. Why are Bull-runs illegal? 

ARTS/ CULTURE 

 

1. Influence of popular art on culture 

2. Japanese Calligraphic styles and materials 

3. Henna patterns across the Middle East, India, and Africa 

4. Fashion mad textile in Asian Tribes. 

5. Bollywood and the Hindi film industry. 

6. How did scientific discoveries of the age influence Greek architecture? 

7. The Great Wall of China  

8. Women and politics: Starting from Ancient Rome to today. 

9. The most significant piece of art of the 20th century  

10. Graffiti art or vandalism? 

11. The art of Photography 

12. How did Paris become the center of art? 

13. Significance of art in our lives 

14. Rise and decline in the popularity of the television 

This is just a shortlist, and you can debate on many more topics. Pick a topic that excites you, and you are comfortable with, and you should be good to go. I hope this list helped you get a few ideas. 

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