Before we begin our study in philosophy, it is important to understand the areas and order of philosophical inquiry. There are many methods for "doing philosophy" that have developed different meta-philosophies in the process. These methods have an order for studying philosophy in the three big areas of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. We will go through several historical periods of philosophy and survey that period's most notable way of doing philosophy.
Western Philosophy Through the Ages
First, we have the Pre-Socratic Era. This period was not prior or inferior to Socrates' and Plato's philosophies. The individuals in this period were not philosophers in the strict sense either, however, all of these thinkers did employ philosophical concepts that are useful for the historical survey of philosophy. It would be difficult to go in-depth with each of these thinkers and discuss each of their philosophies. Without inaccuracy, the "philosophers" in this period did philosophy by "seeking after wisdom" using certain tools of logic and reasoning. It is best understood that these thinkers did philosophy for the purpose of answering metaphysical questions (cosmology and physics). In essence, for the Pre-Socratics, understanding epistemology and ethics paled in comparison to metaphysics.
Second, we have the Socratic Era. Philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who follow the philosophy of Socrates, are the first philosophers in the technical sense. The Socratic philosophers shared the same way of doing philosophy as the Pre-Socratic. However, Socrates and his disciples mainly did philosophy for the purpose of answering ethical problems and questions (moral intellectualism, euthyphro dilemma, virtue ethics, just war theory, philosophy of happiness, etc.). Both the Pre-Socratic and Socratic Eras make up most of what we would call "Ancient Philosophy" (c. 6th century BCE - 4th century CE). These various philosophies relied on logic, sense perception, and intuition.
Third, we have the Medieval Era in the 5th to 16th centuries CE. Key philosophers in this period were Augustine, Boethius, Thomas Aquinas, and Anselm. This period of philosophy was dominated by Christian philosophers due to the near-global rise of Christianity. The order of studying philosophy and doing philosophy for most of the Medieval philosophers started from a metaphysical perspective. Metaphysics was approached first, and epistemology and ethics were addressed as second-order matters. In this period, philosophers would view philosophy as an aid to biblical theology. Due to this perspective, philosophy was usually done in the capacity of accompanying biblical exegesis for certain Christian doctrines. The line of thinking for these philosophers and their philosophies would be: "Reasons for faith."
Lastly, in the Modern Era or Age of Enlightenment (c. 17th - 18th century CE), the order of studying philosophy and doing philosophy started from an epistemological perspective. A notable philosopher who championed this perspective was Rene Descartes. Descartes began with the epistemological condition of knowing as the basis for philosophical thought (viz. the cogito). In his line-of-thought, the best way to do philosophy is to do it by the means of pure reason. This ultimately affected the way Descartes viewed the world (viz. solipsism), and his lack of development on ethics (local skepticism). Thomas Hobbes, who was a contemporary philosopher of Descartes, also embraced some form of extreme skepticism (theological skepticism). The main thought pattern of these philosophers was: "Pure reason alone."
My Observations and Conclusions
Although each era of philosophers had different takes on how to do philosophy and what areas of philosophy are more important, one fact remains constant. The fact of the matter is that in each era, with every thinker, philosophy is done by using (some of) the rules of logic and reasoning, and a worldview is developed. This should indicate to us that if we are going to investigate and study one area of philosophy before others, then we should study metaphysics. Some of the issues that many philosophers through ages have dealt with (euthyphro dilemma, virtue ethics, existential crises, and religious issues) would be readily answered if the thinker were to define what existence means, what a property is, if objectivity exists, what is the relation of mind-body, what is person-hood, and if universals or particulars exist.
When it comes down to how we define faith and reason in the context of philosophy, I take it that both are different in their respective capacities. However, both interrelate on the how we discover "truth." Just like there may be correct reasoning and incorrect reasoning, there may also be correct faith and incorrect faith. Reasons make sense of propositions, and faith makes sense of belief systems. Both go hand-in-hand. And neither of them are hostile to one another. I think its best that we have a cumulative case method for gaining wisdom in our world. We have the cognitive faculties for reasoning, we usually reformulate beliefs based on evidences, we exist and experience the features of reality with sense perception, imagination, intuition, and reasoning. In this cumulative case method, we should be understanding reality as we perceive it, and the beings that exist in this reality.
Ultimately, we use reason and other ways of knowing (i.e. language, sense perception, and memory) to investigate metaphysical questions before any other area of philosophy. Then we use our metaphysical worldview as a foundation to answer epistemological questions. Once we have a solid epistemology, then we can finally tackle ethical questions and issues. Our goal in philosophy is not to wander into the bottomless pit of hypothetical problems, but rather to uncover the puzzles of real-life states of affairs.
