In the present essay I shall attempt to elaborate, by means of an analysis which relies heavily on contemporary philosophical thought, the notion of justice as it has come down to us in historical tradition. There are many excellent works on justice by classical as well as by modern writers, however, I do not know of any work in which contemporary philosophy has had sufficient opportunity to advance our understanding of this perennial concern of mankind. In view of the number of capital works on ethics, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and logic published since the beginning of this century, we may be entitled to assume that fresh insights are to be found in them which would greatly benefit also inquiries into the fundamental principles of justice. Although I intend to avail myself of this source of information to a considerable degree, I do not believe that the modern is a self-value. I am aware that the evolution of thought occasionally takes regressive turns, so that in the learning of a given period much of value possessed by earlier generations may have become lost. Thus, in writing the present essay, I have not closed my mind to inspirations that the philosophical past, as far back as the pre-Sokratics, may provide for an inquiry into the fundamentals of justice. However, I feel that the fundamentals of any great human concern should be reconsidered in any new philosophical situation.