Philosophy

In Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, Chapter 7, Aristotle concludes that the fundamentally human mode of life is an activity guided by thinking and reason: “We have found, then, that the human function is activity of the soul in accord with reason or requiring reason… Moreover, we take the human function to be a certain kind of life, and take this life to be activity and actions of the soul that involve reason; hence the function of the excellent man is to do this well and finely.” (1098a)

Explain how Aristotle’s conception of the human function or mode of life relates to his view of human flourishing (translated as “happiness” in the text) as the highest good. Referring back to the translator’s introduction may be useful here.