Epistemological Pluralism in Legal Authority

Sor Juana's synthesis of theological, philosophical, and practical knowledge challenges the Western legal tradition's narrow epistemology. International law privileges written statutes, formal reasoning, and institutional authority while marginalizing oral traditions, communal wisdom, and experiential knowledge. By honoring diverse epistemological traditions, we expose international law's limitations and its cultural specificity. Sor Juana's intellectual work demonstrates that justice requires integrating multiple ways of knowing—poetic, scientific, spiritual, and relational. When international law claims universal authority while rooted in particular epistemological assumptions, it commits epistemic injustice against cultures with different knowledge systems. This concept calls for genuine pluralism where international legal frameworks acknowledge their limitations and create space for alternative justice approaches. True limitation of international law's reach occurs when we recognize that law cannot—and should not—be the sole arbiter of justice and right across all cultural contexts.