The Function Argument in Aristotle's Ethics: Happiness and the Human Good

<p><b>Jakub Jirsa provides the first book-length study of the “function argument”, outlining its central importance for Aristotle’s ethics and his understanding of happiness and living well. </b><br><br> <i>The Function Argument in Aristotle’s Ethics </i>gives a systematic account of the development of the function argument from Plato’s <i>Republic</i> to the <i>Nicomachean Ethics</i>, with an explication of the interdependence between different versions of the argument which appear in Aristotle''s ethical writings. In careful close readings of Aristotle’s <i>Proptrepticus</i>, the <i>Eudemian Ethics</i> and the <i>Nicomachean Ethics</i>, Jirsa makes the case that the function (<i>ergon</i>) argument – that the function of human beings is virtuous activity of the rational part of the soul – serves as a transition from formal to substantial ethical debate and helps to differentiate between happiness and the happy life. The book then evaluates Aristotle’s function argument against contemporary critiques.<br><br> With English translations of sections of the <i>Proptrepticus </i>based on the recent reconstruction from ancient sources and fragments, this volume offers a novel context for understanding a key element of Aristotle’s ethical works, and is an ideal reference for those studying Aristotelian ethics, virtue ethics and the history of philosophy.</p>

Book details

• Publication date: 16 October 2025
• Page count: 240
• Dimensions: Height 164 mm; Width 242 mm; Thickness 23 mm
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9781350511750