Facilitating Knowledge of the Excellent Life Through the Aesthetics of

Mike Mentzer’s Bodybuilding

Brian Anderson

This essay focuses on the creative aesthetic of Mike Mentzer’s “Integrated Man,” and

suggests that his notion of virtue, as expressed creatively through knowledge and

imagination, links him with the “virtue-ethics” of the ancient Greeks. To understand

Mentzer as a radically innovative bodybuilder and thinker, drawing inspiration from this

ancient heritage for a virtuous and noble life, a life of excellent “human

flourishing”(eudaimonia), it is necessary to briefly explore this ancient culture’s

philosophy of knowledge, art, and virtue.

“Knowledge is virtue,” is a fundamental Socratic thesis. Succinctly, it means

having the wherewithal to understand that a virtuous life, a life of excellence, is worth

pursuing and requires work and dedication, i.e., training of the soul in thought and action,

which expresses a living relationship to the knowledge of the interrelated cardinal virtues:

piety, temperance, justice, courage, and wisdom, which assumed the role of the fifth

virtue, guiding the philosopher’s dialectic examination of the virtues.

In the case of Socrates, wisdom was not a mode of detached theoretical

contemplation, which transcended man’s experiential condition. For Socrates, wisdom

was a form of rational, clear-sighted thought, and when employed properly, it held the

potential to uncover the knowledge of virtue (or virtues) by answering the ultimate

question, “What is it to be a virtuous and excellent human?”

Similar to the Greeks, Mentzer’s artistic philosophy was based on the notion of

virtue-ethics, for he was concerned with man’s character, the habitual ways of behaving
and living (ethos), and the moral purpose, or end, motivating man’s comportment in all

situations. The six virtues, christened by Mike Mentzer with the acronym HUNGER, are

strikingly similar in character to the virtues of the ancients. Extending beyond the realm

of competitive bodybuilding, they represented for Mentzer principles of value, indicative

of and essential to the pursuit of the excellent life.

The values of Height, Uplift, Nobility, Grandeur, Exaltation and Reverence

(HUNGER) apply to knowledge, philosophy, and character-building, inspiring man to his

full human potential as a rational, moral, and creative being. In the manner of the ancient

Greeks, Mentzer struck a working balance between various forms of knowledge: rational,

scientific, and other modes of truth-disclosure, e.g., the intuitive knowledge that comes

by way of the creative, aesthetic experience (aisthesis).

Mentzer understood that knowledge exists in many forms, each holding its own

distinct place in our world-epistemology. When employing this philosophical

categorization, I am fully aware of the implications, for although rational and scientific to

the end, Mentzer believed that art facilitated a highly complex form of knowledge, albeit

sensate in nature, and further, that man’s creative ability to make and remake his world

and values, inspired by aesthetic knowledge, represented his most noble quality.

Edith Hamilton’s description of the hallmark of Greek culture in terms of the

unification of intellectualism and artistic creativity mirrors Mentzer’s contemporary

philosophy of life, art, and sport. Discussing the integrated mind-body connection in The

Greek Way, Hamilton labels the Greeks “spiritual materialists,” for no struggle between

the body, the mind, and spirit existed for them. They were “clear, lucid thinkers,” who

refused to deny “the importance of the body (and the knowledge acquired via the senses)
and ever seeing in the body a spiritual significance.”

Mentzer understood the significant role of the body in renewing the sense of the

spiritual, or religious, in man’s secular, earthly existence. For this reason, he

enthusiastically worked to perfect the body and the presentation thereof. According to

Mentzer, the honed and perfected physique of the bodybuilder, when presented in

dramatic fashion, in affiliation with music of great power and emotion, expressed the art

of living virtuously. The body, as unique work-of-art, in a moment of aesthetic

attunement, transmitted and instilled the knowledge and ideal of the heroic conception of

man as “the exalted hero, who stands noble and tall, proud of his ability and willingness

to be a creative, productive innovator.”

Art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann (Reflections on the Intimations of

Greek Works of Art in Painting and Sculpture) expressed a kindred notion regarding

ethical knowledge and the aesthetic experience. Writing in 1755, he offered an aesthetic

alternative for legitimately approaching the so-called “Socratic” virtues, suggesting that it

was possible to learn about the virtuous Greeks, not by reading their philosophy, but

rather through the analysis of their art.

Winckelmann sought to learn two crucial things about Greek art: First, he

examined the experience of art (spectator and work), trying to understand the way in

which it communicates truth, along with the type of truth communicated. Second, when

seeking the meaning of the artwork (which emerges from the experience), he recognized

the importance of the artist’s purpose and inspiration, which provided insight into the

general “health,” or worth, of the artist’s culture.

Although the Greeks did not have a philosophy of art in the sense of our modern
science of aesthetics, such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle inspired philosophy’s

future movement along this path, for they wrote much concerning the transformation of

worldly understanding in the unique moment of the aesthetic experience, e.g., according

to Plato (The Phaedrus), in the presence of “beauty,” both natural and created varieties,

man was elevated to the heights of his creative, philosophical potential.

The work of art for the Greeks was a unique, created object. It was the

culmination of knowledge (techne) and production (poiesis), and when completed

(ergon), it stood outside the dominion of both the knowledge and the processes of

production necessary for its existence. For example, the meaning of a sculpture, in a

special sense, transcended the material and formal qualities of the work. However, this is

not to indicate that for the Greeks the sculpture’s material form was wholly separable

from its meaning, as though the role of the particular representation in stone was

somehow inconsequential to the “true” meaning of the work.

This is because Greek art was not symbolic in the modern sense of the term. It did

not convey the entirety of its meaning through metaphor or metonymy, in the manner of

pointing beyond the actual, physical representation depicted by the artist. Meaning was

never divorced from the unique, particular form of the artwork; the form, in fact, served

as the origin of the work’s meaning. For example, Winckelmann viewed the statue,

Laocoon as the embodiment of the values it communicated, and not merely symbolic of

valor under extreme duress.

The statue depicts the Trojan Priest and his sons in the death-grip of sea snakes,

and coveys in a particular, unique representation this man and his story. However,

according to Winckelmann, since the statue idealizes the virtues of Laocoon, it

simultaneously projects, from this unique, particular incarnation, the virtues in their

universality, speaking to the spectators of the overarching heroic sense of beauty linked

with such an event, i.e., the last moments of the valiant, courageous (human) struggle

against an unthinkable, horrific fate.

From this statue, Winckelmann distilled the “dominant characteristic” of both

Greek art and their society. Analyzing the “noble simplicity and serene greatness in the

pose as well as the expression,” he concluded that the statue embodied the greatness of

man’s soul and the clarity of his mind, conveying the excellence of heroic composure in

the face of every overwhelming passion:

The pain of body and greatness of soul are equally balanced throughout the

composition of the figure and seem to cancel each other out. Laocoon suffers, but

he suffers like Sophocles’ Philoctotes; his misery pierces us to the soul; but we

should be able to bear anguish in the manner of this man.

In Mentzer’s unique philosophy, the body functions as paradigmatic work-of-art,

and this idea relates to Winckelmann’s understanding of sculpture and its power to

convey aesthetically the knowledge of virtue. It is evident from the photographic and

written documentation of Mike Mentzer’s successful competitive career (including his

one piece of fictional writing) that his training and posing routines were designed with

the purpose of forging the idealized human figure, which served as the origin for the

communication of higher moral truths about life. The six virtues of HUNGER sprang

from Mentzer’s art of bodybuilding, which he deemed the “indispensable medium for the
communication of a moral ideal.” Much like the Greeks of antiquity, the body for

Mentzer was not merely symbolic of human virtue, but rather served as the very

embodiment of human excellence, for all to see, experience, and (hopefully) emulate.

For Mentzer, the bodybuilder’s physique and countenance worked synchronically

with the music chosen for the posing routine, projecting virtuous ideals and testifying to

the long, arduous years of preparation and self-sacrifice required for this fleeting moment

on the posing dais. In addition to modeling and exemplifying the virtues of the excellent

life, the bodybuilder’s physique also illuminates his self-understanding, which includes

the knowledge of his art and culture. Mentzer powerfully expressed this very notion when

he stated, “Let your muscles serve as an expression of your glorious will and your

glorious reason.”

It is legitimate to draw the analogy between competitive bodybuilding and the

high arts of sculpture and dance, while recognizing that each art form is unique in its own

right, retaining aesthetic elements unique to the respective genre. As a living and

breathing “sculpture,” the body is a proportioned, symmetrical work of art in which

various aesthetic properties exit harmoniously. The bodybuilder is also similar to the

dancer, in that his art demands assuming the role of both artist and finished art form, and

these aspects of bodybuilding, as an art form, represent two sides of the same coin.

Interestingly, sculpture during the classical period rose to the heights of its

creative power when sculptors observed and analyzed the movements of choral dancers.

The majestic pose of Laocoon, representative of the “good,” “true,” and the “beautiful,”

articulates a single moment within time’s linear progression, and was selected to express

the illusion of continuous movement. Great classical sculpture was concerned with the
perception of temporality, intimating the events that gave rise to the “frozen moment”

captured by the sculptor, while at once calling up the spectator’s anticipation of the

natural progression of that movement, and in this way, classical sculpture never sacrificed

the sense of motion, which heightened and intensified the perception of dramatic urgency.

In the following passage, classical art historian J. J. Pollitt describes the “style” of

choral dance from which sculptors of the period drew their inspiration. The

characteristics associated with the majestic style of posing incorporated by Mentzer are

nearly identical in nature to the typical features of Greek choral dance.

A (choral) dancer, moving in time with the music, performed specific “steps” in

time with the “beat” of the music. Between each step there were momentary

“stops” (called ereimiai) in which the body was held for an instant in

characteristically grand positions.

The principles of high art (and fine art) are readily employed by champion

bodybuilders when assessing their physiques and structuring their training regiments.

Mentzer demonstrated the acute awareness of the principles of design (e.g., the aesthetic

notions of symmetry, proportion, and balance) when working to “carve out” the perfectly

honed physique. He also recognized the importance of the expressive properties

associated with the experience of art, i.e., the sensory and emotional qualities, which are

influenced in great part by the elements of design. Mentzer was exceptionally diligent

when preparing for the presentation of his “finished” physique, as the posing routine was

the event that supported the emotional and noetic weight of his art. Importantly, he writes
of selecting poses that best displayed his worldview, and through his physique and proud,

noble countenance, his values radiated.

For example, Mentzer’s signature pose is beyond anything arising from the

immediate tradition of bodybuilding, and in fact, the pose recalls the Greek tragic hero,

who in the moment of experiencing a catastrophic reversal of fortune demonstrated moral

fortitude and physical endurance, bearing with heroic resolve, life’s greatest adversities.

This dramatic pose calls to mind Aeschylus’ poetic words from the Oresteia regarding

man’s relationship to the Gods. According to the chorus, the gods have set mortals on the

path to understanding their world by laying down the ultimate tragic law of existence,

“Man must learn by suffering!”

It is possible to imagine Mentzer’s response to this Greek truism, as suggested by

his perfectly modeled heroic demeanor, that a full and authentic life is one in which joy,

elation, and intense suffering coexist. We can perhaps imagine man’s suffering as

redeemable through a form of art that serves a higher purpose – art, as conceived by

Mentzer - art that is vigorous and formidable, powerful enough to not only allow for the

endurance of suffering, but further, to inspire its transfiguration.

As stated, Mentzer embraced art as the medium for the communication of higher

values. Thus, it is crucial to understand the manner in which the body works in

communion with powerful, uplifting music, for it is through the art of posing, the

medium of “art” (body-in-motion to music), that the contemporary ideals and values of

excellence (HUNGER) are transmitted to the spectators in a moment of ecstatic,

communal attunement. From the moment the bodybuilder takes the stage, he is

communicating nonverbally with the audience, and, in the words of Mentzer, “By being
keenly aware of this phenomenon you can purposely control what you communicate.”

The revelation and communication of art’s truth occurs, as the faculty of rational

cognition is temporarily suspended. Describing this moment of aesthetic attunement,

Mentzer’s terms and concepts are nearly identical to those employed by Kant when

analyzing the “aesthetic” experience of the “beautiful” and the “sublime” (The Critique

of Judgment). We imagine this type of collective attunement occurring for the Greeks

during the rhapsodic performances, choral dances, athletic competitions, and the great

tragic performances at their religious festivals. In such moments, a transformation of

“mood” occurred, man stood outside of the normal, everyday ways of existing, and

within this “ecstatic” experience, man’s capacity for understanding the world was

enhanced as the faculties of perception and imagination were set in motion.

Mentzer believed that this “aesthetic phenomenon,” as described above,

transpired in the auditorium of the bodybuilding competition. Praising music’s

unparalleled power to alter the waking conscious state, Mentzer philosophized music’s

“enormous appeal and power in all cultures,” and with this in mind, he devoted close

attention to the choice of not only poses he selected for displaying the physique, but as

well, to the choice of music that accompanied the routine. Mentzer expressed a profound

understanding of music as a viable aesthetic medium for collectively communicating

“higher values” with others. According to Mentzer, in this following quotation, music

represented a “shared” form of art.

Music is the only form of art that bypasses the human critical/conceptual faculty

entirely, directing affecting the emotions…The music and posing had to be

 integrated, that is consistent and non-contradictory, since both would express my

art - my view of man through my sense of life emotions, as displayed in my

movements on stage and through the music I chose.

In this moment, the body “speaks” like the sculpture of Laocoon, and in the

presence of perfected physical, moral, and emotional ideals, the spectators are

collectively raised beyond themselves. It is the body as work-of-art that serves as the

origin of truth, facilitating the intuitive movement of the spectator’s perceptual

comprehension from the embodied, highly concentrated, particular manifestations of the

noble virtues, to the universal understanding of these virtues in idealized forms. However,

the so-called “forms” of the virtues are never complete abstractions, as their universality

ultimately depends on the particular representations portrayed in the work-of-art.

Art’s power of transfiguration lies in its ability to perfect nature, to perfect the

idea of man’s existence, e.g., rather than merely re-presenting a mimetic copy what life

is, art strives to go one better, and show us what life ought to be. For this reason,

Winckelmann believed that created beauty was (always) superior to natural beauty,

“Nature,” he once quipped, “must yield the palm to art.” According to Mentzer, it was the

task of art and the artist to “concretize” the values in abstraction, through personifying

the moral ideals of man and communicating these ideals via the agency of aesthetic

intuition, a state of insight that reveals truth in a manner that eludes the workings of the

discursive intellect. As Mentzer reasons,

rather than have to read an undue lengthy passage to know how to act in certain
 situations, summoning the image of the human ideal would serve to provide the

individual automatically with the knowledge of how one should act.

In closing, I return to Winckelmann’s belief that art expressed the general well

being of the culture from which it emerged. It is the case that our contemporary culture, if

measured against the elevated standards of excellence that Winckelmann so stringently

applied to the Greeks, would fall short of the mark as a culture of great worth. A great

number of modern philosophers (e.g., Martin Heidegger) have quite convincingly argued

this very point, that our historical age lacks the potential to visualize, form, and actualize

our ecumenical objectives. In more accessible terms, we lack a genuine sense of

historical “destiny” that emerges only in relation to our authentic heritage, or collective

“living” ethos.

I think Mike Mentzer would have agreed with the foregoing statement, and for

this reason, his philosophical stance regarding the pursuit of moral, intellectual, and

physical excellence is so unique, refreshing, and inspirational! To a great extent, his

creative thought sets him apart from the social complacency, which inhibits man from

adopting a question-worthy attitude toward life, in the manner of the ancient Greeks. As

shown, Mentzer was not deterred from asking the difficult questions concerned with

meaning, virtue, and the excellent human existence, for he was ever in search of a value-

rich life through the endeavors of philosophy, science, and art.

His work reminds us to hold fast to our noble visions and to make every effort to

give the ideas we have of the excellent life, as perfected through art and the creative

intellect, “shape, reality and purpose.”