The Commons of Language and Learning

Sor Juana taught herself multiple languages, studied philosophy and theology through borrowed books, and became one of the most learned people in the Americas—yet she was denied formal schooling simply for being female. She modeled how individuals who gain access to language and learning can transform themselves and challenge power. In Libertarian justice, the commons of knowledge—shared language, accessible books, opportunities to learn—is not charity but infrastructure for freedom. Without literacy and language, property rights are meaningless; without access to ideas, intellectual autonomy is hollow. Sor Juana's self-education illuminates the paradox: individual property rights depend on collective access to knowledge-commons. Societies that restrict learning to the privileged few undermine the very property freedom they claim to protect.