Similar to morality, and faith.

It is pointless arguing about axioms. If you don't accept them you don't accept them. It is sometime useful in a discussion to classify the unjustifiable things you both agree on as axioms, and the things you don't agree on as morality.

For example, axioms of the free market model are that

• people enjoy ownership of certain things, and are free to trade with whom they wish;
• people are insatiable;
• people are rational; and
• people are well informed about the choices they make.

But if this makes it sound like a religion, think again. Note that it is called a free market model. It is just something which people study, and some people believe provides good predictive ability. People do not claim that the model is any kind of absolute truth.

Contrast this with religion. The axioms of a religion (the articles of faith) are held to be absolute truths. How many Christians say "if Christ was indeed the true prophet of God then ..". How many muslims say "if Allah actually exists then ..". Religious proponents do not present their beliefs as 'models', because it would show them up as being stupid irrational.

See

• Theorems