Erasmus against war

PalmOne of the issues that most concerns Erasmus of Rotterdam is war. His reflections on this topic have a timeless interest. One of the most representative sayings of this concern is that "war attracts those who have not experienced it." In this long proverb, he expounds on the origin and evolution of violence since prehistory, the causes of war, contrasts the warrior and the Christian, and strives to demonstrate that the Gospels provide reasons in favor of peace and charity. He also devotes parts of his anti-war discourse to combating the arguments of war apologists. And he does not miss the opportunity to propose some global solutions, such as creating international organizations with the purpose of fostering understanding between peoples, laying the foundations for a peaceful relationship with the Turks, and exercising effective control over the absolute power of monarchs that would prevent unilateral declarations of war.

From a Christian humanism perspective, he argues with great determination against the warmongering prevalent in 16th century Europe, which he experienced first-hand, with the war in Italy, the confrontation between Turks and Christians, and the beginnings of the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants, and he goes out of his way to work for a lasting peace. Specifically, in the war against the Turks, he proposes the peaceful solution of evangelizing them with moderate arguments that convince them of the error of believing in a false religion, because one cannot expect them to be good Christians with a conversion imposed by "blood and sword", through violence and domination, given that "what is what is what is what is what is what is what is." The Church and all its branches should set an example and show the Turks that Christian life is authentic and in accordance with the teachings of Christ, living a humble life, far removed from riches and the desire for glory and money, and acting with innocence, a willingness to do good, even to one's enemies, and applying the teachings. In this regard, he says that "without a doubt, being openly Turkish or Jewish is a much lesser evil than being a hypocritical Christian."

Christians against Christians

But of all the conflicts mentioned, what disgusts and angers him the most by far is the war that pits Christians against Christians, given that they are brothers and sisters and members of the same church. He is especially concerned by the fanaticism of false Christians and their use of rhetorical skills to distort the scriptural message of love and peace, as well as their strategy of accusing true Christians of heresy who do not approve of war and verbally combat it with "the shield of faith."

War is at the root of all kinds of evil. As for the evils caused by war, the worst thing is that most of the victims are innocent people: "Peasants, the elderly, mothers, children, girls who marry." War "silences the laws," destroys happiness, and sows humanity with hatred, illness, and mortality.

He denounces that wars motivated by kings and princes have the hidden interest of increasing their absolute power over their subjects. Sometimes, the warlike motivation of rulers is glory, restoring wounded pride, expanding their domains, greed and the desire to enrich themselves, appropriating the property of citizens and defeated enemies. Likewise, he tries to appease the bellicose desire of princes by exposing the evils of wars, and if dissuasive arguments were not sufficient, he demands that the pontiffs be in charge of stopping them with their authority.

Erasmus adopts a pacifist position inspired by the conviction that human nature predisposes one to friendship. He is convinced that God did not create us for war and sees clear signs of this will in the fact that man is born weak and unarmed, with no parts of his body that could be used for war, and that he fully develops through mutual support. Another characteristic that leads Erasmus to believe that man is destined for friendship and harmony is that God has instilled in him "the hatred of solitude," "the taste for company," and "the passion for knowledge," and has granted him above all the gift of speech and reason. It seems to him that the very fact that man is made in the image and likeness of God is sufficient guarantee for a natural tendency toward good for its own sake, nothing more. He proposes that man recognize himself in Christ, who is love, that he imitate him in his actions, teaching love and peace and doing everything possible to free himself from vices, with patience and tolerance, and responding to offenses with good deeds.

The comparison with animal behavior provides him with other arguments against war. Thus, humans, unlike animals, fight each other with unnatural weapons and destructive techniques for very frivolous causes, and furthermore, this combat can be very bloody and prolonged, causing a large number of victims. However, he emphasizes that animals of the same species never fight each other, that most attack only when they are hungry, feel threatened, or are protecting their young. The confrontations are brief and involve few victims. Furthermore, when an animal is wounded, the fighting stops.

In the commentary on the aforementioned adage, the question is asked: why is peace preferable to war? His answer is structured as if he were weighing the advantages of peace against the disadvantages of war. Thus, he argues that in times of peace, there is wealth and prosperity, civility, abundance, solidarity and generosity, justice and religious fervor, the most respectable disciplines are developed, and festivals are celebrated; while war is inhumane, criminal, and sad because it eliminates all that is beautiful, good, and joyful in the world. In times of war, human lives are lost, cities and crops are destroyed, fear and sadness, corruption and vice spread, justice and religiosity disappear, and letters are not respected. In short, as Erasmus says, "if you were to weigh the advantages and disadvantages as in a balance, you would come to the conclusion that an unjust peace is undoubtedly preferable to a just war."

Christian Peace

In the adages about political and religious power, and war vindicates Christian peace, democracy as a system of government advocates that the ruler lead a Christian life modeled on Christ and the Gospels and, therefore, be honorable and avoid corruption, seek the common good and the well-being of his people, care for his territory, care for his territory, care for his territory; riches as well as pleasures, luxuries, and other vices. Since the wisest and most prepared prince cannot be democratically elected, he proposes that he at least receive a good education. He agrees with Plato that power should be entrusted to philosophers or that philosophy should be taught to sovereigns. For Erasmus, power leads to tyranny when it is dissociated from wisdom and goodness. A bad ruler will be corrupt and belligerent and will cause the people to suffer; in contrast, a good ruler must approximate "the image of God ruling the universe" and know how to administer his kingdom fairly. He is also concerned with business ethics. Therefore, he criticizes excessive taxes, trade in public offices, and the enrichment of the Church. He also supports state intervention in the economy to prevent poverty and the concentration of wealth, usury, and dishonest business dealings.