Interdependence and Mutual Flourishing

Sor Juana's intellectual life was sustained through networks—she corresponded with scholars, depended on her convent community, existed within layered traditions of thought. She understood that knowledge and flourishing are not solitary but relational. This insight reframes our relationship with animals from dominion or separation toward interdependence. Humans and animals coexist in shared ecosystems where actions cascade unpredictably. We depend on pollinating animals, on soil microorganisms, on the atmospheric work of forests inhabited by countless creatures. Simultaneously, many animals now depend entirely on human choices. This is not a hierarchy but a web of interdependence. Sor Juana's framework suggests that mutual flourishing—where human and animal interests are genuinely considered together—is more realistic and just than domination. We cannot thrive while destroying the systems that support all life. This mutual vulnerability becomes the ground for moral consideration. Sor Juana's relational epistemology translates into ecological ethics where human and animal wellbeing are inseparable.