Postulation

postulationn
1. (logic) a declaration of something self-evident; somethingthat can be assumed as the basis for argument [syn: predication]
2. a formal message requesting something that is submitted toan authority [syn: request, petition]

Postulation \Pos`tu*la"tion\, n. [L. postulatio: cf. F.postulation.]The act of postulating, or that which is postulated;assumption; solicitation; suit; cause.

In traditional logic, an axiom or postulate is a proposition that is not proved or demonstrated but considered to be either self-evident, or subject to necessary decision. Therefore, its truth is taken for granted, and serves as a starting point for deducing and inferring other (theory dependent) truths.

In mathematics, the term axiom is used in two related but distinguishable senses: "logical axioms" and "non-logical axioms". In both senses, an axiom is any mathematical statement that serves as a starting point from which other statements are logically derived. Unlike theorems, axioms (unless redundant) cannot be derived by principles of deduction, nor are they demonstrable by mathematical proofs, simply because they are starting points; there is nothing else from which they logically follow (otherwise they would be classified as theorems).

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