Justice is the practice of dealing with each individual in the manner merited by his or her actions, as evaluated by the standard of objective value. The mental action that leads to justice, by which we evaluate what someone deserves or merits or earns, is called judging. Justice should be practiced toward oneself as well as toward others. Although many people find it difficult to accept even well-deserved rewards, this virtue requires that we treat ourselves justly as well.

Although some have proposed conflicting views of justice, our definition of the concept was not chosen arbitrarily. Like all the concepts in this course, the concept of justice rests on objective, reality-based factors. In order to enjoy full life and well-being, a rational being needs to practice justice (as defined here) for specific reasons:

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