Justice is the fair and impartial treatment of individuals. It is one of the oldest and most contested concepts in political philosophy. Plato defined justice as each part of the soul or city doing its proper work. Aristotle distinguished distributive justice, which concerns the fair allocation of goods, from corrective justice, which concerns restoring what was taken. The Roman jurists defined justice as the constant will to give each person their due. Modern debates center on what people are due and why.

John Rawls argued that justice is fairness. Principles of justice should be chosen behind a veil of ignorance, where no one knows their place in society. From that position, rational agents would choose equal basic liberties and arrange inequalities to benefit the least advantaged. Robert Nozick disagreed, arguing that justice concerns entitlement and transfer, not patterns. Amartya Sen emphasized capabilities, the real freedoms people have to do and be what they value. Feminist and critical race theorists have shown how justice has been denied to women and minorities. Justice is not just about distribution. It is about recognition, participation, and power.

Dimensions of justice

• Distributive. Fair allocation of resources.
• Corrective. Restoring what was taken.
• Procedural. Fair processes and decision-making.
• Restorative. Repairing relationships and harm.

Justice is not the same as equality. Equal treatment can be unjust if people have different needs. The question is always: equal in what respect?