Who?
Anybody, simply. An argument can consist of an individual and a group, two individuals, two groups, or any number of parties. Any two (or more) parties can argue, but the quality of an argument is enhanced greatly when the parties involved are all educated on the subject matter.

When?
Anytime, simply. Although an argument can technically be had almost anywhere, the best arguments are usually the products of intelligent conversation and are held in an environment of mutual respect where the flow of information will not be interrupted/interruptive.

Where?
Anywhere, simply. A good argument can be found anywhere from a classroom, to a living room, to a street corner. Location in and of itself does not add to nor subtract from the quality of an argument.

Why?
An argument is usually the product of a number of seperate entities or parties whose views on an issue differ either entirely or partially. An argument ensues when each party tries to convince the other that their particular belief is correct, or when one party tries to convince that their particular belief is at least valid. A *good* argument arises when both parties express their views and attack others with the intent of reaching a further overall understanding of the subject instead of merely forcing their views upon each other. A good rule is that a *good* argument ends up with mutual respect between all parties and an overall higher intelligence among all involved.

What?
An important question. A good argument, by my definition, is an exchange of ideas between two parties acceptably well versed on the topic at hand with the intent of becoming more familiar with opposing viewpoints and more comfortable with ones own. An argument can be described as "malicious," but not every argument is so, and the presence of actual malice in an argument is not necessarily detrimental to its quality.

How?
I can't give an all-inclusive guide how to argue effectively, or even how to argue well. I can give a set of basic guidelines and examples telling how to participate in what I would consider a good argument.

1. Argue to convince or inform, not to foist.
It's perfectly alright to be ground-set in your standpoint as long as you don't insist that everybody else *must* agree with you. This is VERY important to remember in arguments concerning touchy subjects (such as religion) because other people are as sure of their belief as you are of yours. How do you feel when someone tries to make YOU change? Forcing your side upon others is a sure way to lead to a very unproductive argument.

2. Stay on topic. Don't let someone change it unless everyone agrees.
If you begin arguing about something and change topics too frequently it can be hard to thoroughly explore one subject. If someone tries suddenly to change a topic with no obvious explanation, they may realize a flaw in their side. Find it. Pointing it out and confronting it will make both parties more adept at such "combat." You need not be obvious about calling topic back, something like "I'd like to continue talking about why grey socks are better than black socks, it's interesting..." should work to get you time to find the person's flaw.

3. Make sure everyone is on equal ground verbally.
This is an incredibly important and beneficial thing in many arguments. By this I don't mean to make sure that everybody has read the dictionary, I mean to make sure everybody is using the same definition of important words. Make sure that people know the difference between, or at least agree upon the meanings of, words like "power" and "authority." When a person says one thing and the other misinterprets due to a discrepancy in definition, an entire argument can be thrown away. Clearing up definitions of important words should be one of the few reasons to suddenly interrupt an argument, and it should be considered only a temporary digression.

4. NO NAME CALLING.
Verbal jousting with a seven year old is pointless. If you don't agree, you're a stupid jerk. To maintain civility, respect your opponent, no matter how much you disagree. It will be easier for you to learn from him and it will be easier for you to teach him if you discuss intelligently without reverting to insults.

5. Know your stuff.
This is pretty self-explanitory. If you're ignorant, don't pretend you know what you're talking about in a real argument. Sooner or later, someone will find you out and you'll feel dumb, and time will have been wasted. At least sit back and watch an argument a while before jumping in to get an idea what's going on. Input intelligently. Go in with a basic grasp of something and come away enlightened.

That's about all for now. As I come upon another 5 points or so, I'll probably make an addition to this, but until then, happy arguing.