I know that if I'm at a party (of most types), for example, my first goal ain't exactly to win philosophical arguments ...

Funny, I've always thought that debates are one of the most entertaining forms of social interaction available. Parties with a lot of strangers around are one of the best environments for them - not only don't you know in advance the opinions of the others, making the discussions more interesting, but you'll get to know them on a deeper level, and faster, than you could with idle small talk. You'll get to know how they think.