Philosophy IA ideas: how do you choose one?
Choose an idea that fits the subject criteria and can be answered with evidence, a method, and resources you can access.
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.
Which research questions fit Philosophy IA?
The questions below are starting points to adapt to your own variables, evidence, and assessment task.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What assumptions about beauty are embedded in an art-world ranking shortlist?
Approach · Analyse through aesthetics, the sublime and institutional theories of art.
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.
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.
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.
Can a news photograph claim truth, or is every image already an interpretation?
Approach · Analyse through theories of representation, indexicality and evidence in epistemology.
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.
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.
Find questions that fit your resources
Filter the Philosophy ideas by time and equipment. This is a practical shortlist, not a judgement about the quality of a research question.
12 of 12 starting points match these time/equipment filters
- 01Does a trolley-problem thought experiment reveal a genuine moral distinction between killing and letting die?
- 02Does a dystopian film scene illustrate the limits of utilitarian reasoning about surveillance?
- 03What does a social-media advertising algorithm imply about autonomy and informed consent?
- 04Can a scientific study of consciousness support or undermine dualist accounts of mind and body?
- 05Does a political speech rely on an incoherent concept of collective identity?
- 06What assumptions about beauty are embedded in an art-world ranking shortlist?
- 07Does a documentary scene about factory farming justify moral obligations to non-human animals?
- 08What does a video-game narrative mechanic imply about free will and moral responsibility?
- 09Does a public-health campaign poster manipulate its audience in a morally problematic way?
- 10Can a news photograph claim truth, or is every image already an interpretation?
- 11Does a courtroom drama reveal the limits of legal positivism in defining justice?
- 12What does an AI chatbot response imply about the philosophy of mind and the Turing Test?
Items with unspecified equipment or time remain visible. Check safety, ethics, available evidence and the current assessment guide before choosing.
Research question feasibility test →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.
- IB: Diploma Programme assessment and examsOfficial overview of criterion-related assessment and internal assessment in the Diploma Programme.
- IB: current curriculum updatesOfficial hub for current and upcoming subject/assessment changes and subject briefs.
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