Intellectual Property as Self-Ownership

Sor Juana's prolific output of philosophical, theological, and poetic works emerged from her assertion that her mind was her own property—a radical claim in 17th-century New Spain. She argued that the fruits of intellectual labor belong to the thinker, not to institutional gatekeepers. This concept bridges libertarian property theory with feminist epistemology: if freedom requires ownership of one's labor, then women's intellectual production demands the same protection as men's. Sor Juana's defense of her right to study, write, and publish without censorial interference models how intellectual autonomy underpins libertarian justice. Her work demonstrates that property rights in ideas are inseparable from personal identity and freedom of conscience.