Cartridge bearing hubs run the axle through the bearings of the freehub body making them weight bearing. Look at the picture again. See how the bearing on the left side of the hub has the axle running through it? And, I suspect that you’ll accept the axle running through the bearing in the left side of the hub shell. The axle also runs through the bearings of the freehub in exactly the same way. Because the axle runs through those bearings, they are also weight bearing. The freehub shell rotates on the those bearings but that doesn’t mean that the bearings aren’t also rotating on the hub axle nor that they aren’t bearing weight.

The Shimano freehub body bolts to the hub shell. The inner part of the freehub body turns with the hub while the outer part turns on its own very, very, very small bearings. A picture of a disassembled freehub body can be found here. Those bearings don’t carry weight. Because the freehub body isn’t in contact with the axle except where the bearings fo the hub contact it at the end.

I see what you were getting at with the shims now but your post was very confusing. You seemed to talking about hubs and not the freehub body. As for taking one apart, I don’t. I treat them like I do freewheels. Servicing one just isn’t worth the effort. They are fairly easily removed and replaced.

No, it is not backwards. Think of it this way. The axle is just a tube. Support the tube on both ends and put weight on it. The center is going to deflect downward because it is surrounded by open space. Now take that same tube and put additional support in the middle and put weight on it. The center won’t defect downward as much. The more support, the less it deflects. Add to that the fact that the axle on the Phill Wood (and most every other cartridge bearing hub) has a wider diameter and you have a stronger axle that is supported better.

That your opinion and it is still wrong.