The Right to Public Voice and Expression

Sor Juana's publication of her writings—poetry, theological arguments, philosophical observations—was radical precisely because women were denied public voice. To silence someone's published word is to dispossess them of their capacity to affect the world with their mind. Libertarian justice recognizes that voice is property in the broadest sense: control over how one's thoughts reach others. Sor Juana fought for the right to be read, debated, and taken seriously, understanding that exclusion from public discourse is a form of expropriation. This concept challenges any system—whether censorship, publishing monopolies, or gatekeeping credentials—that restricts who may speak to whom. In a just order, expression is a natural right following from thought; suppressing it is theft of one's efficacy in the world. Modern implications include resistance to deplatforming, licensing requirements for speech, and institutional monopolies on whose voices matter.