Essay Database

The Human Function Aristotle defines the function of humans, so that the best good can be accounted for. To understand how the best good is defined, and how it is related to the function of humans, it is crucial to study the way Aristotle defines the best good. According to Aristotle, a good is the end result that which everything seeks. Sometimes, the good of one end is the action that helps reach that end, …

…despoiling the environment is an exclusively human characteristic, it is not characteristic of all humans, and therefore cannot be called the human function. To recap, the first counterexample failed because it was not unique; the second counterexample failed because it was not an activity; and the third counterexample failed because it was not characteristic of all humans. Therefore, Aristotle's definition of the human function remains intact. Even though it was written so many years ago.