No matter who you are or what you do or want from life, you should care about physical fitness. Here’s why. Two Arguments for Fitness We all get standard health advice from a variety of sources: friends, family, medical practitioners, the media. “You should eat well,” they tell us. “You … Read more
As part of my efforts to illustrate a complementary relationship between physical fitness and moral virtues, I previously detailed how practicing yoga benefits prison inmates. Specifically, research has shown that yoga improves positive mood and decreases stress, anxiety, depression and recidivism in prison populations. And yoga is not the only … Read more
Last month, I published an article on fat-shaming and ethics. A few weeks later, I opened the latest issue of Philosophy Now to discover another article on the same subject. In “The Ethics of Fat Shaming,” Charlotte Curran attacks fat-shaming, fatism and a purported societal obsession with weight loss. While … Read more
A recent paper published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) shows that adults who were at least moderately physically active from adolescence through middle age had significantly lower annual Medicare costs than those who were consistently inactive. I have previously argued that, for many reasons, exercise is an ethical behavior. … Read more
In previous articles, I have argued that physical fitness is a virtue, just like honesty, kindness and intelligence. But focusing too closely on physical virtues can lead to unwarranted assumptions. In this piece, I use the example of fat-shaming to expose some flaws in a virtue ethics approach. In light … Read more
Feeling defeated because your fitness goals have gone by the wayside? Here’s how to get back on track. Off-Track Resolutions In January, I shared an approach to New Year’s resolutions based on the philosophy of existentialism. In short, whatever fitness goals you pursue won’t matter much in the long run. … Read more
Possessing physical virtues doesn’t automatically make you more ethical. While these qualities are important, they are not more important than other virtues. Plus, we can’t use physical virtues to make deeper assessments about a person’s character. The Limits of Physical Virtues In previous KineSophy articles, I have argued for the … Read more
I have previously argued in favor of three ethical components of fitness for all humans. However, in doing so, I may have run afoul of an old logical fallacy, the “Is-Ought-Problem.” In this article, I explain the Is-Ought Problem and describe how I managed to sidestep this dilemma. The Is-Ought … Read more
Your fitness New Year’s resolutions won’t matter in the long run. Here’s how to get the most out of them anyway. I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to die. Maybe (hopefully) not tomorrow. Or the next day, or next week, next month, next year or next … Read more
Part of the difficulty in defining moral rules stems from the fact that each individual experiences the world differently. What I perceive as pain may feel like minor discomfort to someone else. If there is common ground from which to build a set of moral rules, it seems we will … Read more