75 Ethical Essay Topics in 2024

What is Ethics?

When your college professor asks you to compose an assignment on ethics or come up with ethical issues essay topics, you are dealing with a complex branch of philosophy and more than one field of science. The talk will go about the importance of things in our daily life by turning to actual examples. For example, a nursing student will deal with the communication code and decision-making where the main question will relate to whether something is ethical or not.

It may be possible that you already have a prompt to follow or you have to choose something that relates to the recent events or problems that have been explored throughout your course. As a way to help you, we provide you with 75 competitive ethical essay ideas that will help you see what can be explored. In case you will face any difficulties with such type of assignment, use Edubirdie as one of the most reliable healthcare essay writing services with a professional writers.

Types of Ethics

Before we continue with the selection of ethical essay topics that have been divided by subject, it’s necessary to take your time and study the existing types of ethics first.

  • Supernaturalism. It's also known as the ethical school of thought that depends on God. It means that the only source of moral beliefs starts and ends with God. It applies to the way how a person lives and functions.
  • Subjectivism. Also known as relativism, it states that we have no objective moral truths per se. It means that there is no sin and no virtue as well, just our actions that we’ve made.
  • Consequentialism. This morality focuses on the given moment and bases itself upon consequences. It means that it's only the result that matters.
  • Emotivism. Those that follow emotivism believe that moral statements have no meaning, yet a person is allowed to express one's feelings about some moral take as it can have a positive influence. It's only an expression of the feelings that tell us that something is good or wrong.
  • Intuitionism. The followers of this concept believe that we are dealing with real objective moral truths that act independently of our actions. These rules cannot be broken or defined by a single example as one must implement intuition. The works of G.E. Moore, an English philosopher, provide a good background of this type of ethics.
  • Duty-based ethics. Also known as Deontological ethics, they focus on what we do first, not with the consequences of what's being done. It leads us to think that an individual must do the right thing and avoid acting wrong. It's the case when one is not allowed to justify something because it has brought us to good consequences. The duty-based studies often relate to the so-called principle of the thing.
  • Virtue ethics. If a person lives by following the virtue and possesses it too, it is considered as good. A right act is seen as the action of an individual that remains the same in any situation.
  • Situation ethics. When you are using situational ethics for your college writing, it will deal with a situation that will define what’s right and what’s wrong. There is no absolute wrong as such, the same relates to an opposite opinion.

You can also combine more than one ethical school as you work on your paper, which is perfectly acceptable! Proceed with the list of topics based on what feels right to you or your course field.

Ethical Topics by Areas of Science

  • Nursing Ethics.

One of the most challenging areas dealing with ethics relates to medical subjects. While there are numerous case studies, it's still difficult to narrow down some nursing essay topics due to areas that can be chosen. Start by exploring your course and continue with subjects that inspire you.

  1. Mental health assistance and professional relationship limitation.
  2. Time management issues, depression, and seeking help from the patients.
  3. The degree of affection allowed by paediatric nursing specialists.
  4. When reporting physical abuse should be handled by legal advisors.
  5. Domestic violence and family practice: does a nurse have a say in the situation?
  6. Dress code and self-monitoring systems: a privacy threat?
  7. How can nurses implement their marketing skills as they leave recommendations?
  8. An ethical aspect of critical care and delivery of personal data to family members.
  9. Pain management and the use of morphine in the United States and Canada.
  10. Dealing with pressure and burn-out: when to report your low state to the hospital staff.
  • Medical Ethics.

Unlike nursing studies, medical ethics are dealing with the accessibility of medication, the use of genetic studies, and the use of certain practices by healthcare specialists.

  1. The distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine and the geographical bias.
  2. Medical practices by the African continent that are forbidden elsewhere.
  3. The cultural ethical aspect of gynecology and natal assistance in Muslim countries.
  4. The use of medical marijuana in the United States: an ethical aspect and legal issues.
  5. The presence of religious beliefs when dealing with surgical procedures.
  6. An ethical barrier between Western medical practices and Asia.
  7. Bias in relation to African Americans when offering emergency help.
  8. Medical education and the Scouting movement in the United States.
  9. Substance abuse and the role of television in improper practices.
  10. An ethical factor of the beauty factor and the medical advertising.
  • Virtue & Moral Subjects.

When you are dealing with a moral dilemma, the role of virtue, the things we have learned, and morality play an important role in our selection of subjects for an essay. Starting with philosophy and literature to social sciences and history, one can focus on theorists and the events that have inspired you.

  1. An ethical structure of Buddhism: a peaceful warrior.
  2. The negative side of authoritarian leadership: pressure vs obeyance.
  3. The world's famine: will the wealthy ever have enough?
  4. An ethical aspect of the tips for the waiters at cafes and restaurants.
  5. Do beauty salons for pets violate any ethical factors?
  6. The role of Napoleon in the world's literature.
  7. Galtung's theory of peace: can military conflicts be resolved?
  8. The role of the Asian ethics versus Western beliefs: the cultural clash.
  9. Virtue and religion: how do we define happiness?
  10. The moral side of being a mercenary.
  • Environmental Essay Topics.

When you are dealing with Biology, Environmental Studies, and ethics essay topics, you should start with an essay type because you can explore a case study, write some compare-and-contrast paper, or deal with an argumentative essay. It will help you to narrow things down and set your tone to make your point across. Here are some environmental ideas to consider:

  1. Is Green Energy safer for the location of the wind turbines and the marine health?
  2. The use of solar panels: pros and cons for the ecology.
  3. The Greenhouse Effect: what is the history of environmental marketing.
  4. The role of Green Peace and the controversial cases that have shaped negative impressions.
  5. The use of animals in beauty and cosmetics.
  6. How can an ordinary person shape the future of the planet.
  7. The role of the Internet in the promotion of environmental issues.
  8. How has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the migration of birds and animals.
  9. The history of Yellowstone Park (you can choose any other subject).
  10. Bioethical standards of Coca-Cola: case study and environment protection.
  • Business Ethics.

When you are majoring in Business Management, Marketing Studies, Political Sciences, or Journalism, the chances are high that you will deal with all types of ethical research where the written tasks will play a paramount role. As a way to help you come up with amazing ideas, we’ve picked a selection of business ethics topics:

  1. Doing business in China: what are the ethical standards that must be implemented?
  2. The role of mediation in the management of business negotiations and social conflicts.
  3. The biased attitude and the media ethics of transnational corporations.
  4. The use of solidarity of the labor unions in Italy versus the United States.
  5. HR screening process as a business employment stage: pros and cons.
  6. Business ethics and dress code issues during remote work and video conferencing.
  7. A historical aspect of business persuasion in Canada: an English heritage.
  8. Real estate agents and the honesty factor: analysis of real estate ethical code.
  9. Workplace conflicts: should the head manager take sides or apply for the third party consultancy?
  10. Employees with learning disabilities: a moral aspect and peer pressure.
  • Social Media & Online Ethics.

The role of social media and online communications cannot be underestimated as students apply relevant research skills in Education, Healthcare, Psychology, Media Studies, and Data Management. As you choose your ethical subject dealing with social media, focus on relevant issues like the ones below:

  1. An ethical controversy of content management by Meta Inc.
  2. The negative sides of social media in relation to body image.
  3. The pros and cons of being an Instagram influencer.
  4. The use of social media to promote political and religious beliefs.
  5. Freedom of speech and Twitter: selective blocking cases.
  6. Social media as the complex communication platform: the basic ethical rules.
  7. The role of media corporations and the use of forced marketing strategies.
  8. The lack of cultural communication aspect when corresponding online.
  9. Social media and data privacy: what information should be reported?
  10. The red flag alerts: encountering a person with mental issues online.
  • Social Ethical Subjects.

When you are researching virtue ethics, you may come across various beliefs and schools of thought, which is why it's good if you can use relevant quotes by philosophers or reference world-famous books that support your social position. Regardless of your subject and the set of ethical ideas, focus on social concepts that will inspire others as you brainstorm relevant essay topics.

  1. The laws that help protect American citizens when they encounter racial prejudice.
  2. Situation ethics in the workplace: how can we choose a suitable strategy?
  3. Systematic reflections of moral perception based on childhood experiences.
  4. Religion and interdisciplinary research.
  5. The use of technoethics code and the use of smartphones in our daily lives.
  6. Self-determination versus conflicts of interest in college education when dealing with paper revisions.
  7. Supply chain ethics and the moral demand in the video games branch.
  8. The use of children for bringing up the ethical issues: pros and cons.
  9. The coverage of moral aspects when reporting the news.
  10. Following the trends in the workplace: are these being forced or serve as the leadership strategies that help?
  • Controversial Ethics.

As we are dealing with essays on ethics and values, there will be debates and controversial subjects that require deeper research. Start with a description of both sides of the camp and make sure to include statistical data to let your audience shape an opinion. Here are some ideas to consider:

  1. Is there a reason for medical marijuana’s support?
  2. Should advertisements have a place on children's television?
  3. The violence and the video games: cons and pros of an ethical aspect.
  4. An ethical factor of school uniforms: bridging the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
  5. Should religious education be obligatory for middle school children?

Compose Your Ethics Assignment Accurately!

One of the most challenging aspects of ethical writing is staying unbiased unless you have to provide a personal reflection. It’s usually not enough to state your opinion by saying that something is right or wrong. The purpose of ethical research writing is to choose a case study, a concept, or an event because abstract papers will rarely help you earn the best grades. You must introduce a problem, structure your arguments, and provide more than one example of specific ethics in practice. As you choose your topic from the list above, narrow things down a little bit and provide surveys, define your type of ethics, and provide real-life examples as it will show that you have done your homework right.

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