Philosophical arguments "against" weightlifting (yes, you read that right)

Philosophy Forums Society, Government, and Economics
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Prepare to read something really goofy. And stupid.

Context: I’m 16, been weightlifting for over a year now, and interested in philosophy for a little over 8 months. Recently I’ve been trying to find my morals and, if I may say so, succeeding.

While I’m not going to say what sect or lack of one therefore (it’d be useless), I generally feel aligned with the Christian God. I got to this point with philosophy.

This has affected my thought process towards weightlifting because:

A. What usefulness is the body (in either strength or aesthetics) when in the end it’s your soul, or rather, morals that matter (and your relationship with God)

B. Because of A (above), why exercise beyond what takes you to God’s image of health for you? Surely God, and a rational part of the weightlifter themself, don’t honestly think there’s any reason to exercise extensively to the point where you risk injury. In the end, does muscle even matter?

To clarify, when I speak of weightlifters I speak of people like Arnold Schwarzenegger (albeit he was juiced), strongmen like kyriakos “grizzly”, ETC.

What I’m trying to communicate here is that physical strength really does seem quite useless, unless you’re in some position where it’s an absolute requirement such as the military.

Otherwise than that it seems like the motivation behind weightlifters, especially bodybuilders, is either to become an object of lust ( look at my muscles girl! ) or become an object of jealousy towards other men… Both of which are morally stupid

Can anyone give me reasons to continue weightlifting?

Also don’t take this too seriously, I wrote this in 5 minutes

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Religious educational institutions have always encouraged fitness and health… think yoga, tai chi, sports… so you arriving at religion and fitness being mutually-exclusive, is unfounded.

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Yes, but I believe there’s a point when you can teach a certain muscularity or “strength” that doesn’t correlate to either physical or mental health… I can think of many people who are very muscular but incredibly unhealthy.

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Being unhealthy is a personal choice and isn’t a by-product of weight training, neither is becoming overly muscular -as again- doing so is a personal choice.

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You can’t say “The weights made me do it”, because the weights aren’t sentient.
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…but if you did, you could get away with it… because the weights can’t defend themselves.

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This seems to get at the real issue: it’s not about weightlifting, but the motivation behind it.

There are many reasons why someone might lift weights. I agree that a Christian god would frown on the ones you mention, because they are ultimately selfish and even cruel.

If instead your motivation is to stay healthy, to be prepared for anything, to relieve stress, or to train mental discipline, those seem more neutral or even virtuous.

I’d even argue that lifting weights to improve your looks isn’t immoral per se: suppose you want to improve your looks in order to make your significant other happy, or because the sad fact is that in our world looking good may get you access to opportunities that could enable you to do good. Call it “instrumental vanity”: not vanity for its own sake, but only to serve some greater end.

When you point to Schwarzeneggar and Grizzly, I think it shows you’re really thinking of weightlifting in terms of excess. But nearly any activity, when done in excess, and particularly when done selfishly in excess, will raise moral concerns.

But those concerns are distinct from the activity. Done for different reasons (“ad maiorem Dei gloriam” etc.), there’s nothing wrong with weightlifting.

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It’s ornamental behavior.

No pain, no gain.

I have a cosmic spirit. My body is extremely weak.

My mind is beyond comprehension strong.

Women can’t see the difference.

What a women really looks for in a man is that they’ll be a good fuck.

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I’m being censored again for derails.

The question was already answered.

If the OP has something else to say or ask, it’s very simple… they can do it anytime.

From my perspective, anything but discussing cosmic consciousness is a derailment.

That happens all the time in real life.

People troll the OP which is cosmic consciousness all the time.

I do not hate them for it.

I don’t censor them.

Because I know that it will always come back to the OP.

Cosmic consciousness

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I could have made the last post in meta.

But that’s just for glamour. I’m trying to prove a point.

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Who unleashed your dragon and why are you posting outside of your comfort-zone threads?

…not that your tone has changed or anything. :roll_eyes:

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I think someone found a loophole in the automated system.

Posts are being hidden left and right here, all they have to do is report it. And nobody has to read it and the automated system calls it community.

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Mag. I don’t think you realize how difficult it is to post cosmic knowledge in 300 characters or less (not including the spaces)

I can attack you by saying your post is projection all day long and win.

But as the great Michael Jackson said…

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I’m sorry.

I have so much information in my head that I can’t tell the difference between thread.

I did answer this OP, but other threads were dragged in here.

It’s not the end of the world. Just wanted to point it out.

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Henry Ford said Exercise is bunk. If you are healthy, you don’t need it: if you are sick you should not take it.

Exercise seems to me to be a means to an end.

Beware of falling into the trap of Nietzschean Will to Power (we were only created to worship God, Will to Power’s endpoint is to become an object of worship). At the very least you could get tendon strain if you go that route. Tendon strain could even become permanent so keep it minimal, progress steadily.

OTOH: Clinical obesity is definitely self harm though, and thus blameworthy.

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Very very late reply but thank you for your answer. After months and months of exercise I’ve come to the conclusion that you’ve listed above.

It also just gives me a good daily schedule. It also falls into my life’s plan.

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Weight lifting is a single man’s thing, after marriage you stop caring about it altogether.

Literally an activity just to sexually attract women and beyond that completely unnecessary. Of course I have a physically active job where it becomes unnecessary after working as I exercise enough daily already.

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Arnold made some great movies. Acting on jealousy is perhaps that only unforgivable sin, the blasphemy against he Holy Spirit.

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Pretty sure there is no unforgivable sin as long as you are standing on two feet

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But no one can enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, all their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. (Mark 3:27-3:30)

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There are no unforgivable sins in Buddhism. Everyone can change their life around for the better.

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