Just Differentiation as a Moral Imperative: Rethinking Structural Stress in Gifted Education

This article develops a normative-philosophical analysis of systemic injustice in gifted education, focusing on the institutional mismatch between well-intentioned facilities and the actual needs of cognitively strong learners. Drawing on neurobiological research, legal reasoning, and classical ethical theory (Kantian and Aristotelian), we argue that the chronic stress experienced by these students is not incidental but a foreseeable outcome of structural neglect. We introduce the concept of just differentiation, a novel ethical framework that redefines educational responsiveness as a moral obligation rather than a discretionary policy choice. Using the Flemish education system as a paradigmatic case, the analysis shows how rhetorical commitments to autonomy and development remain structurally unfulfilled, resulting in both biological and normative harm. We conclude that educational justice demands anticipatory, systemic support for cognitive diversity, not as an elite accommodation, but as a foundational requirement for dignity, equity, and human flourishing.Keywords: Educational justice; Cognitive diversity; Normative ethics; Structural neglect; Just differentiation; Stress