01
Does a trolley-problem thought experiment reveal a genuine moral distinction between killing and letting die?
Approach · Analyse with act/rule utilitarianism and the doctrine of double effect; evaluate intuitions about agency.
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Philosophy · IA research questions
12 IB Philosophy IA ideas
Written and cross-checked by IB Diploma graduates: Alexander (41), Alejandro (40), Martina (40), Victoria (38), Martin (35), Maria (34)
· Checked against official IB guidance · Editorial policy
A strong Philosophy IA takes one non-philosophical stimulus and builds a sustained philosophical analysis around a clearly stated question. Engage with at least one concept or thinker and evaluate the limits of the stimulus itself.
Scope: Choose a stimulus rich enough for multiple interpretations, then narrow to one concept. Use at least one academic philosophical source, but keep the stimulus central. ~2,000 words.
02
Does a dystopian film scene illustrate the limits of utilitarian reasoning about surveillance?
Approach · Analyse the scene through utilitarian and deontological lenses using specific visual and narrative choices as evidence.
03
What does a social-media advertising algorithm imply about autonomy and informed consent?
Approach · Analyse through concepts of autonomy, heteronomy and informed consent, supported by philosophical sources.
04
Can a scientific study of consciousness support or undermine dualist accounts of mind and body?
Approach · Analyse arguments from dualism and physicalism; evaluate what empirical evidence can and cannot settle.
05
Does a political speech rely on an incoherent concept of collective identity?
Approach · Analyse through liberal-communitarian and postcolonial concepts; evaluate whether the concept is defensible.
06
What assumptions about beauty are embedded in an art-world ranking shortlist?
Approach · Analyse through aesthetics, the sublime and institutional theories of art.
07
Does a documentary scene about factory farming justify moral obligations to non-human animals?
Approach · Analyse through speciesism, utilitarianism and rights-based accounts; evaluate whether emotional response counts as moral evidence.
08
What does a video-game narrative mechanic imply about free will and moral responsibility?
Approach · Analyse through compatibilism and hard determinism; evaluate the limits of the analogy.
09
Does a public-health campaign poster manipulate its audience in a morally problematic way?
Approach · Analyse visual and rhetorical choices through persuasion, manipulation and autonomy; evaluate the campaigner's intentions.
10
Can a news photograph claim truth, or is every image already an interpretation?
Approach · Analyse through theories of representation, indexicality and evidence in epistemology.
11
Does a courtroom drama reveal the limits of legal positivism in defining justice?
Approach · Analyse through natural law and legal positivist concepts; evaluate whether procedural justice captures substantive injustice.
12
What does an AI chatbot response imply about the philosophy of mind and the Turing Test?
Approach · Analyse functionalism, the Chinese Room, and what behaviourist evidence can establish about understanding.
Sources & verification
Primary-source references used to verify key assessment facts on this page. Last source check: September 22, 2026.
These Philosophy ideas are original iBacalao starting points, not official IB research questions. Check the current Philosophy subject guide, your assessment session and your school's safety/ethics rules before committing to a question.
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