Justice (virtue)

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In the Catholic religion, Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues. It is the moderation between selfishness and selflessness; treating all people equally to oneself and to each other.

The just man renders to each and all what is due to them, which are their moral and legal rights to do, possess, or exact something. This is equal insofar as each one receives what he is entitled to, but may be unequal insofar as different people may have different rights: two children have different rights from a certain adult if that adult is the parent of one of them and not of the other.

It is closely related, in Christianity, to the practice of charity, because it regulates the relationships with others. It is a cardinal virtue, which is to say "pivotal" because it regulates all such relationships, and is sometimes deemed the most important of the cardinal virtues.

[edit] Rights

Rights in justice can be of two kinds: "rights of jurisdiction" and "right of ownership." A right of ownership is to a piece of property, and may be absolute, as for a homeowner, or qualified, as for a landlord who has leased a house to a tenant. A right of jurisdiction is to do something for the benefit of another, as when parents have the right to raise their children.

Although rights may be acquired by contract -- as a tenant has a right to live in the house he rents -- rights are inherent in human beings by nature, and do not arise from any social contract.

[edit] Types of Justice

Justitia, by Raffaello Sanzio

Justice between two individuals is known as individual, particular, or commutative justice -- "commutative" because it is particularly concerned with contracts and exchange. Some philosophers regard this as the only kind of justice in the strictest interpretation of the word "justice," but two more forms are commonly included, because an individual has claims on the society to which he belongs, and it has claims upon him.

Justice in which an individual renders its due the society he belongs to is known as legal justice. This may include payment of taxes or military service when the society is in danger.

Justice in which a society renders its individual members their due is known as distributive justice, such as protection from invasion or a legal system whereby a member can pursue a claim against another.