In my mind this is literally what math is. We start with axioms, and derive conclusions. There's probably more to it than that, but that's the understanding I'm at now.
So then you could self-apply it and start ... deriving new rules of how you can derive new theorems and thus also new rules, from axioms?
I'm jusr confused a bit about "axioms" and "rules". What's the difference?
They're usually considered separate, because they're orthogonal to the foundational axioms you're using to build up your mathematical systems. With the exact same system of axioms, you might be able to prove or disprove certain things using some logic systems, but not others.