According to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, happiness is the ultimate end of humanity, because everything humans do is done with the aim of obtaining it, and it is obtained through the attainment of the full excellence of the soul. Happiness is the greatest of all human goods because, as an end, it is an end in itself, meaning that humans do not use it as a means to another end. It is not conditional happiness that Aristotle praises, but rather something more akin to the modern definition of joy. The practice of virtue, both intellectual and moral, is necessary to condition the soul to the state of ultimate excellence and thus achieve happiness. Indeed, the excellent soul is entirely governed by its rational segment, as opposed to its irrational segment, and such government is only obtained by cultivating virtue, both moral, which is habitual, and intellectual, which is educated, which by definition is the excellence of the soul. To cultivate moral virtue, one must practice averaging all emotions, that is, the version of each emotion that is neither excessive nor deficient, as well as averaging virtuous characteristics, such as generosity. Happiness is the ultimate function of man. because it is the highest human good. Every action humans perform is aimed at achieving an end. We go to college to get a degree. You get a degree to get a good job. We work to earn money. Degrees, jobs, and money are just some of the many goals that human actions seek. There is no action without a purpose, nor without a purpose, because even actions that seem frivolous are intended to achieve the goal of satisfying the whim of the perpetrator of the act. These ends are considered good, although some are better than others...... middle of paper ...... the soul is subject to the rational segment, then happiness is achieved. Everything on earth has a purpose, a niche to fill, and it is the same for man. Thus, since happiness is the greatest function of man, since it is the end at which all human actions aim and since it is uniquely human, it goes without saying that the only life worth living to be lived is that devoted to the correct search for happiness. Such pursuit, or cultivation, is an activity of the human soul, for happiness can only be achieved through the achievement of perfect virtue, which by its very definition is the excellence of the soul. Happiness is therefore the realization of the goal of humanity, the final and ultimate accomplishment of its function resulting in the contentment of the excellent soul. Works Cited Aristotle and Martin Ostwald. Nicomachean Ethics. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1980. Print.