The claim that chronic illness cannot strip away your capacity for thought, learning, and intellectual contribution, grounded in Sor Juana's defense of women's right to pursue knowledge.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz spent her final years managing severe illness while continuing her intellectual work, asserting that the mind remains free even when the body is constrained. For those with chronic illness, this concept reclaims intellectual identity as non-negotiable: you remain a thinker, learner, and knowledge-maker regardless of physical limitations. Sor Juana's tradition teaches that identity rooted in the life of the mind transcends bodily circumstance. In chronic illness, this framework opposes the reduction of self to symptom or limitation, instead protecting space for curiosity, study, and mental contribution. Your intellectual capacity and right to pursue knowledge persist as core aspects of who you are, independent of what your body can or cannot do on any given day.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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