In Aristotle's book, Nicomachean Ethics Book 1, he makes the argument that there is good and "good." To explain his statement he gives us an example: "the function of the lyre player is to play the lyre, and that of a good lyre player is to do well" (Aristotle 19). He believes that human function is our rational activity which is our good and should be performed well. In this article I will explain Aristotle's view on the topic of function. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The role of the function argument in Aristotle's investigation of the human good is that to understand what the human good is we must first find out what the function of the human being is as mentioned in the lesson. Aristotle seems to have found the human good and claims that it is happiness and/or something that humans might want to achieve in their lives. Aristotle thought it would be useful to understand the concept of function as applied to humans because he states that if a carpenter and a tanner can have a function then a man should also have a function. He wanted to find a function that was “peculiar to man” (Aristotle 19) because he states that plants are managed by nourishment and growth and by animal perception and instinct. He wanted to find a function that separated humans from plants and animals. After examining many ideas, he ultimately concludes that human beings are distinguished from others by reason. By this he means that only human beings are capable of acting with a motive and being responsible for their actions. His curiosity leads him to want to understand the concept of what a function is for the human being. Aristotle believes that humans must have a function because in the text he states that if an eye, a hand and a foot have a function as a whole then the human will have a function. The reasons that Aristotle offers for thinking that human beings have a function is as said before that the carpenter and the tanner have a function therefore man should have a function. He goes on to say that human activity is our function which is reason and which is known to be the human good. His concept is that if a part has a function, then its whole has a function, then the parts of human beings have a function, and that theory concludes that human beings have a function.