Humanism of Erasmus von Rotterdam and Ambroise Paré

Two central themes in the works of Erasmus von Rotterdam and his correspondents are war and peace . There the humanist Erasmus tries to dispel the aura of the ideals of antiquity: beauty, glory and « sweetness » of war, and describes them as a horrible tragedy. In his comments, you can find an analysis of bellicism and pacifism. Erasmus knew that for many historiographers and many philosophers war is generating everything. Erasmus refutes this attitude, writes often against this philosophy of war. But he admits just wars. Ambroise Paré, the surgeon of the King, often risked his life and abandoned his family to help the victims of a scourge of mankind, war. He characterizes the great variety of wounds caused by the great variety of arms as « une table diversifiée de tant de mets et fricassée de poudre à canon ». He has been a traveller to the disasters of wars of religion, a great humanist in front of human suffering, and was very sad and resigned that he often could not help, in spite of working unrestly and sacrificing himself.