Intellectual Property as Self-Ownership

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz lived in a world where women's intellectual labor was systematically appropriated by institutions and male authorities. She argued that knowledge produced by the mind is as much property as land or goods—it belongs to the person who creates it. In libertarian justice, this principle protects individuals from exploitation by ensuring creators retain rights to their work. Sor Juana's defense of her right to study, write, and publish despite institutional pressure demonstrates that intellectual freedom cannot be separated from property rights. When a person's thoughts and creations are claimed by others without consent, their freedom and dignity are violated. This concept challenges systems that treat knowledge as communal or state property, grounding libertarian justice in the recognition that the mind's output is an inalienable extension of self-ownership.