How "Axiomatic" became "Foundational:" The true (and only marginally fictionalized) history of the philosophy of physics.

It the beginning, there were academic Philosophers. And later, there were also Academic philosophers. Immanuel Kant said, "One can't know." Auguste Comte said "True is what the majority thinks."  And the Physicist saw that it was Bad.

And the Economist heard what the Academic philosophers had said, and arbitrarily decided that it was Good. The Economist had the most brilliant Contribution To Economics Ever.  He had most amazingly solved the problem that tested his Faith that Blind Risk is, in the long term, profitable. He made investments in blind risks, to provide the definitive falsification of the faithless claim, that blind risk causes loss of wealth. But his faithful investments in blind risks could also lead to short-term cash flow Bottlenecks, as his Faith allowed. And his Faith was tested when a short-term cash-flow problem made it impossible to pay the servant.

And the Economist passed the Test of his Faith cleverly. He moved his family from a comfortable house to a tiny apartment in a tenement. He did not need to pay the servant, because his wife thought that she did not have any choices. And it followed, from not having any choices, that she chose to do the work, that servant was once paid to do, when the servant left.  And the economist arbitrarily decided that his cash flow problem was totally solved.

This Proved the total Faith, of the totally great Economist, to the totally great Economist. It also provided him with funds, from the sale of their previously comfortable house, for more investments in blind risk, to further falsify the ridiculous claim  that investing in blind risk can cause loss of wealth. Thus he had proven his Faith that he was the most clever and important Economist in the Universe.  And Intuitively he also had Faith that Philosophy takes precedence over mere knowledge, and he knew it from Faith. For he already Knew, having read Kant and Comte, that knowledge is impossible.

But the truth of his Faith was hidden from others.  For his wife said, my husband has a gambling problem.

And the Economist said, I shalt show them! I have the Faith of Comte, that true is what the majority thinks. Therefore I shalt call "One can't know" an Axiom. And on this Axiom I shalt forever Prove, that Blind Risk is in the long term, however many millenia I shall arbitrarily call "long term," totally Profitable.

And the Mathematician saw. And the Mathematician intuitively had Faith.  For the Mathematician said: Thus the Economist hath solved All problems.  For if I wished to prove whatever arbitrary crawling Theorem that I wished to prove, the Faith of the Economist hath proven it for me. For with the Faith of the Economist I can Prove anything, by calling whatever arbitrary String that I need, to Prove whatever I arbitrarily wish to Prove, an Axiom.

Another [for the word "Atheist" is not Holy enough to be written in Scripture] said, I don't believe it.

And the Physicist saw that it was Bad.

Another said, Axiom is stolen, and thus Physics is destroyed.

And the Physicist said, they only steal words. I still have the concepts. I'll write "Foundational Principle" instead of "Axiom."  And my words will say, "there is nothing to destroy here."

And the thieves said, Physics is destroyed, let's go destroy something else.

And the Engineer said of Physics, I Can Use!

And the Technology is Good. Very Good.