Justice Through Epistemic Humility and Plurality

While Sor Juana championed rigorous intellectual inquiry, she also recognized that understanding exceeds any single perspective or method. This epistemic humility becomes essential for climate justice, which requires integration of Western climate science with indigenous ecological knowledge, local environmental experience, and non-Western philosophical traditions. Western science alone cannot tell us how to live well on a finite planet—that question requires ethical, spiritual, and cultural wisdom accumulated across centuries. Climate action falsely dominated by Northern scientists and policymakers has often harmed Southern communities and ignored indigenous environmental stewardship. True responsibility means centering the knowledge of those most affected: Pacific island nations understanding sea level rise, African farmers understanding drought, Amazonian peoples understanding forest ecosystems. This isn't romantic primitivism but recognition that knowledge is plural and situated. Sor Juana would advocate for intellectual humility that listens to those with different experiences and traditions, bringing together multiple ways of knowing toward genuinely just climate solutions. Epistemic plurality strengthens rather than weakens our response.