Rights as Protection of Core Capacities

Sor Juana argued for rights based on fundamental human capacities: thinking, learning, creating, communicating. This tradition suggests animal rights should similarly protect core capacities essential to each species' nature. A bird's right to fly, a social animal's right to community, a predator's right to hunt according to their nature—these flow from recognizing what each being needs to be itself. This differs from frameworks that demand animals prove their worth through human-relevant measures. Instead, it asks: what are the conditions under which this being can express its nature and flourish? Rights become protections of possibility rather than charity. This aligns with Sor Juana's principle that intellectual and creative freedom are rights, not privileges granted by authorities. Animals deserve equal protection for the freedoms and conditions essential to their flourishing.