Article Paix from Diderot’s Encyclopédie

War is a fruit of man’s depravity; it is a convulsive and violent disease of the body politic; it is healthy, that is to say in its natural state, only when it enjoys peace; it is war that gives vigor to empires; it maintains order among citizens; it gives laws the strength they need; it favors population, agriculture and commerce; in a word, it provides the people with the happiness that is the goal of all society.