There are generally four types of distinguishing questions that are used to determine what the process of philosophy truly is. There are questions of fact that help us determine the way things either are or are not. They are very important and should be of interest to everyone. Questions of fact help us understand and respond objectively to the physical world. These questions also help us know what is conventional in the social community we exist within.

Questions of fact are fundamentally important to our daily living. They help us determine what is absolute and what is relative in our lives. The absolutes that we experience in life are generally how we build foundational cognition as well as lifestyle issues and practices. The factual questions we must answer help us accept the state of the world we exist and operate in.

We also must ask questions of value. Questions of value help us determine what ought to be the case, or what should we be doing? These questions help us appraise things that are, things that might occur and things that actually do occur. Questions of value might also tell us the intensity of a potential end result of any given process or circumstance.

The answers of value based questions help us decide how we should respond in any given arena, or if a response is even necessary. These questions will also help us determine which things or situations must be placed at certain levels of priority and importance in our lives and in the world we experience.

Some questions of value can be very complicated and create very delicate and complex scenarios of thought and perception. In the current society that we experience in here in North America, many people believe that questions of value cannot be answered objectively. Because this is the case many philosophers become very interested in questions of value so they can determine if certain questions of value actually are objective. Other value questions can only be seen from a relative or subjective posture.  

Questions of explanation help us connect evaluations and descriptions into coherent understandable and analyzed units of knowledge. They are questions like, 1). How do we figure out? 2). Why does this take place? 3). What for? 4). How does it fit together? Many of these questions can be problematic to the potential philosopher and the potential philosophy.  Yet, the answers to these questions help us see how various things, situations or occurrences relate and connect to each other. Thus, the answers to these questions help us build and do philosophies that help us make sense of the world we experience and exist in.

Questions of explanation are important and crucial to doing philosophy. Philosophers must be aware that as they deal with these questions, they must be dependent to a certain point on other people in the processes of philosophy..

If the philosopher is interested in learning explanations of scientific facts, the most reasonable person to ask is a scientist. If the philosopher is interested in learning explanations of situations recorded as historically viable facts, the most logical person a philosopher should ask would be a recognized and qualified historian in the particular area of study.

Typically, philosophers do not have any particular expertise on explaining things beyond their own experiences in life. This is typical of almost all people. Therefore, the philosopher must be willing to know who to ask these questions of explanation, and not just rely on their own perceptions or ideals of the subject for interpretation or consideration consideration.      

Finally, there are what is referred to as “meta” questions. Almost all philosophical endeavors amount to or come down to “meta” questions. These are questions distinct to philosophy that describe and define the conceptual tools used to determine the questions of fact, value and explanation of any given area of study or enterprise. These “meta” questions help us analyze and synthesize the basic concepts of any given arena of study, occurrence or enterprise.

Example: If the philosopher is building a philosophy of violin playing, one would not only ask how valuable violin playing is or can be to the individual playing the violin, but the philosopher would also want to know what the implications and/or presuppositions of what violin playing are, or how the violin player would determine such a value in violin playing. “Meta” questions take into consideration all of questions of fact, value and explanation (analysis), and formulate them (synthesis) into a community of concepts and ideals. 

In the real sense of the definition of these “meta” questions, we can summarize by saying that “meta” questions actually merge all of the types of questions into a concluding synthesis of concepts and ideals which actually help us understand the subject in question better.   

When we do philosophical analysis, we are primarily attempting to locate the primary elements of things such as implications, presuppositions and/or a logical set of ideas and values of a particular area of study, occurrence or enterprise. The goal is to synthesize (combine things into a connected whole[1]) into an understandable (or at least a partially understandable) intellectual diagram, picture or map indicating all of the discernable parts and concepts.

As we develop this process of synthesizing, we must also ask, What do these multiple concepts mean?; How do they relate to one another?; How do they all make sense?

When we do philosophical synthesis, we attempt to see in unity, or bring together this entire set of parts or concepts as a whole concept or completely integrated idea that is capable of being understood. This whole concept may even be a functioning or applicable set of beliefs, facts and/or ideals.

Ultimately, philosophy is generally perceived to be a process of asking many of the questions previously discussed so that one might be able to identify, examine and define the tools used by the arena of study or knowledge or enterprise that is being examined.