Knowledge Work and Economic Justice

Sor Juana's position in the viceregal court allowed her access to education but also created economic precarity: her intellectual output was often treated as service to institutional interests rather than as her own commodity. She navigated complex patronage relationships while asserting claims to her own work. This addresses a central libertarian concern: does intellectual work generate property claims equal to physical labor? Sor Juana's example suggests yes—her poetry, theological arguments, and philosophical writings represented genuine economic value. Yet she had limited control over distribution, reproduction, or compensation. Modern libertarian perspectives on knowledge work build from this insight: if property rights derive from labor, intellectual workers deserve the same protections as any producers. Sor Juana's struggle illustrates how women's knowledge work was historically appropriated or undercompensated, violating libertarian principles of fair exchange and ownership. Her case argues for recognizing intellectual labor as legitimate property-generating activity deserving full economic justice.