In a Montessori context, justice refers to the fair and equitable treatment of all individuals, grounded not merely in external laws or rules but in an internally developed moral sense. Montessori understood justice as something that must arise from interior moral development, rather than imposed authority. Justice is closely linked to the child’s growing capacity for reasoning, empathy, and social awareness, which emerges most strongly during the Second Plane of Development. At this stage, children become deeply interested in the moral aspects of life, questioning what is fair, why rules exist, and how individual actions affect the wider community. Through participation in a cooperative community—resolving conflicts, sharing responsibility, and engaging in collective decision-making—children gradually internalise principles of fairness, responsibility, and accountability. In this way, justice is not taught as an abstract concept but is lived and experienced.

“… Let us take for instance, something which is deeply rooted in the moral conception of human society: justice. This, the feeling of justice, is born in the soul of the child at this epoch together with the understanding of the link between actions and the needs of the children around him. This sense of justice is not inborn but becomes rooted in the human spirit and its evolution may be studied by following the development of the child. If this has not been done, then a very different idea of justice arises. The justice found in the home and in school may be considered as distributive justice.…” (Montessori, Maria, Communications, “The Second Plane of Education,” 1975, 1-2, p. 3-4) Lecture given in London, 1939)