Writing around 45 BCE, Cicero argued that there were two ways of resolving disputes: through discussion or physical force. He claimed that since the former is characteristic of man, the latter of the brute, we must resort to force only in case we may not avail ourselves of discussion. The only excuse, therefore, for going to war is that we may live in peace unharmed; and when the victory is won, we should spare those who have not been blood-thirsty and barbarous in their warfare.1
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