Reimagining Worth Beyond Economic Productivity

Capitalism often measures human worth through economic productivity and market value, rendering those experiencing poverty as less valuable. Sor Juana's life demonstrates an alternative framework: worth rooted in intellectual capacity, creative expression, moral insight, and spiritual development. This concept invites those experiencing poverty to recognize their inherent dignity and potential contribution beyond wage labor or economic productivity. Sor Juana's identity was ultimately not determined by her poverty or her subordinate institutional position, but by her intellectual reach and creative vision. For people experiencing poverty, this reframing is psychologically and spiritually liberating. It suggests that identity can be constructed through knowledge, art, justice work, community building, and moral development. This concept challenges the internalized shame that poverty can generate by offering alternative metrics of human worth. It also allows for recognition of contributions—care work, community knowledge, cultural creation—that capitalism systematically undervalues.