I wonder, is there a common root for all such endeavors? Did philosophy begin somewhere? If so, where and how and when and why and who and what — Bret Bernhoft
Philosophy begins at one simple phenomenon: Curiosity. A trait not exclusive to humans by any stretch, but certainly exemplified best, to its furthest reaches, by us.
That all important word "Why?" and its offspring: "who", "what" "when", "where", "which" and "how".
They are all components of how curiosity manifests, and perhaps more importantly all of them reflect fundamentally the nature of the reality/universe we inhabit. The answer to the questions we have.
Who =subjects, what = matter/material/objects, when =time, where =space, which =definition/discrimination/categorisation and how = their associations/relationships with one another, how they interact.
Finally "Why" = the all encompassing umbrella term. The formula for Meaning.
These core concepts are the basis for all possible thought and linguistics and simply put: are all we need to ask about anything at all, the infinity of application of conscious awareness.
Philosophers attempt to use these to ask about their origin. A circular argument: using premises (question words) to find conclusions (what question words represent).
For example: Why is when? (why does time exist), "what is who" (what makes up a person?), where is which? (what is the location of all the pieces of the puzzle/"how" do they all come toghether?)
Notice how the sentences in brackets still use who, what, when, where etc to rephrase or grammatise the questions?
"Why" does something happen vs "how" does something happen vs for "what" purpose does something happen vs for "which" reason does something happen vs "who" makes something happen" vs "when ought something happen?"
Arguably very similar questions that can answered much the same way.