The Right to Flourish and Self-Determination

Sor Juana asserted her right to direct her own intellectual and spiritual path despite institutional pressure. This principle of self-determination—the right to pursue one's own flourishing according to one's nature—applies equally to animals. Each species has its own telos, its own form of flourishing rooted in its nature and capacities. Sor Juana's tradition rejects the idea that an external authority should dictate another being's purpose solely for that authority's benefit. Applied to animals, this means respecting their drives to move freely, form social bonds, hunt or forage, and live according to their nature. When we confine, constrain, or exploit animals, we deny them this fundamental right to self-determination. Her framework demands we ask: are we limiting animals' flourishing for genuine necessity or for convenience? The right to flourish becomes a cornerstone of animal moral consideration, grounded in the same autonomy Sor Juana fought to preserve.