 The entry first situates public justification in the history of political philosophy. The PJP is then stated and explained, along with its chief variables. Variables include conceptions of reasons, idealization, processes of public justification, and others. The entry then examines the arguments on behalf of the principle; different foundations for the PJP are then discussed. The entry also addresses concepts of political stability and publicity related to public justification. And then, it reviews various objections to the PJP. The entry concludes by discussing how theorists apply public justification to specific controversies.