The Economy of Justice vs. the Economy of Extraction

Sor Juana lived under systems of profound injustice—racial caste hierarchies, gender subordination, colonial extraction—yet she used her intellect to articulate alternatives. In consumption, we face a similar choice between two economic systems: one of justice and one of extraction. The extractive economy prioritizes profit maximization, externalizes human and environmental costs, and concentrates wealth. The economy of justice centers worker dignity, ecological sustainability, and equitable distribution. Ethical consumption means deliberately shifting resources toward justice-based alternatives: cooperatives, fair-trade enterprises, minority-owned businesses, and public goods. This is not about perfect purity but about intentional direction of resources. Sor Juana's insistence on justice as a non-negotiable value invites us to build economic systems that reflect human worth rather than mere profit.