first-order question

noun

A direct question about facts or values, as opposed to a metaquestion.

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Meanings

nounfirst-order question (plural first-order questions)

plural first-order questions

  1. human sciencesA direct question about facts or values, as opposed to a metaquestion.

    [L]et us call questions about what is and happens in the world, or about what men ought to do or seek, "first-order" questions. We should recognize, then, that there are also "second-order" questions that can be asked: questions about our first-order knowledge

    1972, Mortimer J. Adler, How to Read a Book, 1972 edition, page 276
Cite this entry
APA

first-order question. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first-order%20question

MLA

“first-order question.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first-order%20question. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “first-order question,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first-order%20question.

Source: first-order question on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.