Justice as Personal Accountability

Sor Juana's work engages justice and rights as active philosophical concerns—not abstract but lived through her choices, arguments, and relationships. In recovery from addiction, justice becomes a personal practice: acknowledging the harm caused by addictive behavior, taking responsibility without collapsing into shame, and making genuine amends. This is justice enacted in the microcosm of personal relationships and internal integrity. It differs from punishment or self-flagellation; it is the rigorous work of understanding harm done, respecting those harmed, and rebuilding trustworthiness through changed behavior over time. Sor Juana's intellectual commitment to justice suggests that personal recovery includes this dimension of moral reckoning. By engaging directly with questions of accountability—What harm did I cause? To whom? What can I do?—individuals in recovery practice justice as a structural element of their new identity. This transforms recovery from purely personal healing into relational and ethical work.