The Right to Intellectual Self-Defense

Sor Juana wielded writing as self-defense against institutional pressure, using logic and rhetoric to protect her intellectual autonomy. In climate contexts, this becomes the capacity to interrogate corporate and governmental climate claims, expose false solutions, and resist narratives that blame individual consumers rather than systemic producers. Communities must develop intellectual self-defense against greenwashing, carbon-neutral mythology, and technological solutionism that delay genuine transformation. This is not merely academic critique but survival—the ability to read policy language, identify whose interests are served, and articulate alternative visions. Sor Juana's model shows that intellectual self-defense is a form of resistance that preserves human dignity and creates space for authentic climate action grounded in justice rather than corporate interests.