Funny Philosophical Questions

25 Funny Philosophical Questions To Get Students Talking

Philosophical questions can be fun, interesting, and thought-provoking. By their very nature, philosophical questions do not have a definite answer. This makes philosophical questions perfect for getting your students thinking and talking in English.

Not all philosophical questions have to tackle such serious topics as ‘What is the meaning of life?’. There are many funny philosophical questions that students, young and old, would find interesting and would love to talk about.

In this post, we have put together a list of funny philosophical questions. These funny philosophical questions are a great way to start a fun conversation with kids, teens, and older students.

Funny Philosophical Questions

Here is a list of funny philosophical questions:

  • Can vegetables feel pain? How can you tell?
  • Can you know what it is like to be a bat?
  • If a deaf man burps in the woods, and nobody is around to hear it, did it make a sound?
  • Agree or disagree? Things only exist when you are looking at them.
  • What makes something funny?
  • How do you know you are not just in a VR computer game?
  • On an airplane, when sitting in the middle seat, who gets to use the armrests?
  • Can you imagine a new color that hasn’t been discovered before?
  • Are you dreaming right now? How do you know?
  • What came first? The chicken or the egg?
  • If time travel is possible, would we have met time travelers already?
  • Are animals conscious? How about insects? Plants?
  • Red paper under a blue light appears black. Is the paper still red?
  • Can animals understand English?
  • Why do humans find things funny?
  • If aliens exist, what would they look like?
  • Do animals like being kept as pets?
  • What makes a good friend?
  • If you were born with a different name, would you have a different personality?
  • Can computers experience consciousness?
  • What would a time machine look like?
  • Why do humans wear clothes, but no other species do?
  • Do animals feel love?
  • Are you lucky? Does luck exist?
  • Are clowns scary or funny?

Tips For Using Funny Philosophical Questions In Class

Asking funny philosophical questions in class is a fantastic way to get your students thinking and speaking in English. Here are some tips to help you make sure your students benefit the most from talking about these funny philosophical topics in class.

Introduce The Fun Philosophical Question

Before students will be able to discuss the answer to the philosophical question, they must fully understand why the question you are asking is philosophical in nature. On the face of it, many of the above funny philosophical questions may seem easy to answer.

For example, ask a student if a computer can experience consciousness, they may simply say no. At which point, you could suggest that the human brain is much like a computer. And then ask them to imagine if we were to recreate the human brain exactly using computer components, would it then have consciousness or is consciousness something unique to humans.

Explaining some of the different things to consider when answering philosophical questions can really help students to think about their own opinions and begin to form their answers.

Give Students Time To Think And Discuss The Philosophical Question

Much like when preparing a class debate, giving students time to think and discuss their ideas with their peers is essential. Philosophical questions are, by their very nature, difficult to answer and students may not immediately know what their opinion is. By talking with their classmates about what they think, and hearing what others think, the students will be able to develop their opinion and answer to the philosophical question.

Establish The Class Rules

Although talking about funny philosophical questions should be light-hearted and fun, the conversation can still get quite heated and emotional, especially if students have different opinions. Before asking students to talk about the funny philosophical topic with their classmates, be sure to establish some class rules so that students listen to one another and respect each other’s opinion. For example, you might wish to tell your students that no idea is a stupid idea and that they shouldn’t interrupt each other when they are trying to answer the question.

Thanks for reading. I hope you found some interesting and funny philosophical questions to ask your students. Before you go, check out these related posts:
30 Funny Debate Topics , 25 Funny Eglish Idioms, 30 Funny Would You Rather Questions For Kids, 30 Funny What If Questions