Intellectual Labor and Just Compensation

Sor Juana wrote extensively—poetry, plays, theological arguments, scientific observations—often for religious institutions that did not compensate her or acknowledge her as an author. Her work was appropriated and controlled by others. Libertarian justice demands that intellectual labor be treated as real work deserving fair compensation and ownership rights. When someone creates ideas, writes books, or solves problems, they have invested time and cognitive energy that should benefit them, not be extracted by institutions without consent or payment. Sor Juana's situation exemplifies how intellectual workers—particularly women—have historically been exploited, their labor claimed by employers or institutions. Her tradition insists that freedom and justice require recognizing intellectual work as labor and protecting workers' rights to own and profit from their output. This means fair contracts, clear attribution, compensation for creative work, and the freedom to negotiate the terms under which one's intellectual labor is used. Without such protections, intellectual workers remain in a form of bondage.