Tyrants made war their policy, and devious reasoning was employed to make the murder of strangers seem honorable. This for Erasmus was the contemporary situation. Erasmus takes the position that even from self-interest war is extremely expensive and wasteful. If the leaders of both sides counted all the costs of a war, they would realize that it would be wiser to settle the disputes by arbitration. Even the worst natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods, and plagues are not as bad as the man-made calamity of war.
People have the use of reason to solve problems.
Erasmus describes the suffering of the soldiers who must slaughter or be slaughtered. Neither is their material gain in war which must destroy towns before rebuilding them. The empire builders are really the enemies of mankind. Erasmus contrasts the peace of Christ and the early church to the frequent warfare of the Christians of his time. They try to justify themselves by scholastic sophistry and reference to civil laws.