Are arguments the opportunity to be creative with words, to think tactically what to say next and think ahead so you don’t leave your self-open to further attacks or do they just demise our intelligent and degenerate into silly tic for tac farces?

I think the word argument implies a quarrel, where
things nearly always tend to get out of hand and degenerate into personal insults etc. The good thing about the forum is that one has time to order one's thoughts and get them down in a (hopefully) coherent way, also to think twice before saying anything that might offend, although I have to say that I've seen some pretty inflammatory things said on forums.(Not this one.)

Personally, I always seem to think of something clever to say when it's way too late in any exchange.
And Scott - I like the way you're always trying to get us talking - the trouble is, there's so much to do on this site that we haven't time!

I always think of "argument" in mathematical terms, where an argument can be an expression on a side of a given equation.

IN conversational terms, an argument is the expression of conflicting opinions on a given subject.

There is a difference though, between 'arguing the finer pros and cons of, for example, stem cel reseacrh' and two people mindlessly screaming at eachother because they simply refuse to back down.

Arguing is only worthwhile if both parties are willing to listen.