Dissent as Property in Truth-Claims

Sor Juana's most famous work, the Reply to Sor Filotea, defends her right to question Church authority and to hold independent theological and intellectual positions. She argues that conformity cannot be a requirement of justice, and that individuals must retain ownership of their reasoned convictions. In Libertarian justice, dissent is itself a property right—one owns one's beliefs, interpretations, and truth-claims, and no authority may legitimately demand their surrender. This principle protects whistleblowers, heretics, dissidents, and all who challenge dominant narratives. Sor Juana's tradition refuses the false choice between obedience and exile: instead, it asserts that individuals have a right to dissent while remaining in community, to hold minority views without penalty to their freedom or property. This concept is foundational to opposing both religious orthodoxy and state propaganda, centering on the idea that truth-seeking is a prerogative of free individuals, not institutions.