Knowledge as Liberating Property

Sor Juana's insistence on the value of knowledge—despite her exclusion from formal universities—redefines education as property in the libertarian sense: it cannot be legitimately owned by others but only by the knower. Knowledge functions as liberating property because it frees individuals from manipulation, dependence, and exploitation. In Sor Juana's tradition, denying someone access to learning is a form of property theft—you are robbing them of their own potential. For libertarian justice, this means that freedom and property include the right to develop your intellectual capacities without institutional gatekeeping. Knowledge democratizes power; when individuals possess education as their own property, they become agents rather than subjects, capable of defending their other rights and freedoms.