The Right to Exist Without Utility

Sor Juana's refusal to justify her intellectual pursuits through male-approved utility mirrors the animal rights critique of viewing creatures solely through productivity. She asserted the right to knowledge for its own sake, not merely to serve others' needs. This translates to animal ethics as rejection of utilitarian frameworks that reduce animals to resources. The concept challenges the question "what is this animal for?" by asserting that existence itself, consciousness itself, carries intrinsic worth. Sor Juana's insistence on her right to intellectual life independent of domestic service establishes a philosophical foundation for animal autonomy—the right to live according to one's nature rather than human convenience or profit. This reframes animals not as tools but as beings with their own purposes.