Quote by Baruch Spinoza: “Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence.”

Spinoza argues that true peace isn't just about avoiding conflict. It's a positive inner quality, a way of thinking, and an' active desire for kindness and good will towards others, rather than just the absence of hostility.

In *Theological-Political Treatise*, Spinoza advocated for a state governed by reason and justice, promoting religious tolerance and freedom of thought. He envisioned peace as a positive societal condition, not merely the cessation of conflict.

Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin whose rationalist philosophy challenged religious orthodoxy and laid foundations for the Enlightenment. His masterwork Ethics, published posthumously in 1677, argued that God and Nature were one and the same substance.