Aristotle's Function Argument

In Book I of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle brings up the idea that in order to discover the human good we must first develop a certain understanding and identify the function of a human being. Aristotle’s function argument is brought up through his belief that the human function is rational activity, meaning that our good as human beings is rational activity performed fine because this is what leads to living well. The good Aristotle tries to get across can be seen in many different forms depending on how it is viewed, because of the idea that the main function of anything is to reach a final end, the final end is considered the good. “The end of medicine is health, that of shipbuilding, a ship, that of military science, victory…” (Nicomachean,

Some might say that if there were a set of people that were skilled in killing then it would automatically be seen as good because one, they are skilled in the art of killing and two, they have a reason to kill which can strain from severe cases of depression to discrimination. Although certain statements can be seen as good counter arguments, people sometimes forget that Aristotle is talking about the final outcome of happiness in the best sense with a big emphasis on the “noblest and the pleasantest thing”, meaning it is assumed murder sprees and other bad actions are rooted out because there is an image of a chief good through rational means. The function argument helps us realize what it takes to bring about happiness from certain actions in everyday life, for instance, the idea that the good of anything that has a function lies in performing the activity well establishes a foreground for the way humans go about with their daily activities. Not everyone is going to be able to do certain activities well as this is given by the imperfect nature of humans, but it does enable the human population to focus on distinct areas of expertise. The idea of something ultimately being good only if you perform the activity necessary well hints at a split society in the sense that everyone is predetermined to be good at something and the only way they will live a “happy” life is by strictly performing the activities they are good