Justification

Justification refers to the act or process of showing that something is right, reasonable, or deserving of acceptance. The term is used across disciplines to denote the grounds, reasons, or evidence that support a claim, action, belief, or policy.

In epistemology, justification concerns the bases on which beliefs are considered rational or credible. Theories include foundationalism (basic beliefs need no further justification), coherentism (beliefs justify each other in a system), and reliabilism (beliefs are justified if produced by reliable processes). The distinction between justification and truth is central: a belief can be true yet unjustified, or justified but false.

In theology, justification typically refers to being made righteous before God. Different traditions differ in emphasis: Protestant views such as sola fide emphasize justification by faith; Catholic and Orthodox traditions stress justification as a process involving grace and cooperation with good works.

In law, justification is a defense that a defendant's action was lawful under the circumstances, as opposed to an excuse that the act was wrong but extenuated. Classic examples include self-defense, defense of others, or necessity. The burden of proof and jurisdiction determine how justification is evaluated.

In typography, justification refers to aligning text along both left and right margins. Left-justified (ragged-right) and fully justified styles affect readability and aesthetics; full justification inserts spacing to create clean margins, sometimes causing word gaps or spacing issues.

In rhetoric and argumentation, justification consists of the reasons or warrants offered to support a claim. Effective justification makes the argument credible by connecting premises to conclusions and addressing counterarguments.