War and peace in the critical treatises by Erasmus of Rotterdam: an explication du text

Abstract

In the face of ever-ongoing war activities all over the world throughout time, such as in Ukraine as a victim of Russian aggression since February 24, 2022, it behooves us to explore parts of the historical discourse on war and peace once again as we are all directly impacted by it in ideological, religious, emotional, political, and material economic terms. One of the most important spokespersons for peace in the pre-modern world was the Humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam, who had major insights to proffer that are relevant to us as well. This article examines some of his concepts through a close reading of several of his treatises and endeavors to highlight their relevance for us today and even beyond the traditional academic discourse. This study is embedded in a wider context concerning dictatorship, hypocrisy of Christians, virtues and vices, and ethics as discussed in early-sixteenth century Humanist circles, but it is really dedicated to the timeless question of what war means in practical terms, why peace is so precious, and also why it is so tenuous in light of shortcomings of the entire humankind.