The Ancient Archmages of the Anteity League were the first mortals to learn how to use arcane spellcasting. As their coalition grew and they secretly spread knowledge of the arcane arts to other mortals, they found it necessary to establish a core system of philosophy on the usage of magic. They came up with their "4 Pillars of Magic". They are:
Since the Archmages saw magic as the divide between gods and mortals, it was in their eyes a tool of control. They believed that magic exists as a means to impose one's will upon the world, shaping reality to match the caster's desires. Power was their ultimate goal, but not power over their fellow mortals. Instead it was power over the world, and by extension the Gods.
In the eyes of the Anteity League, anyone who refused to learn the arcane arts were indirectly supporting the oppressive gods. They saw the caster as the center of all magical power. They saw intellect as paramount above all else, and those who weren't smart enough to wield the power of magic were a lost cause. This idea of the caster being the center of magic led to further ideas that no external force, whether divine, natural, or arcane, should dictate how magic is used.
As a result of their ultimate goal to rid the world of divine influence, the Ancient Archmages became very engrossed in the idea that sometimes true progress can only be achieved through the destruction of the old order, making way for something new. This principle was used as justification for a lot of their actions that resulted in carnage.
Arcane magic is inherently connected to experimentation and invention. The Archmages were pioneers in the field and created most of the fundamentals that are still used today. Because of this, they believed that progress requires pushing boundaries, even at great cost. No cost was too much for the advancement of arcane theory. Ethics and morality were of little concern to the Ancient Archmages.