According to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, happiness is the ultimate goal of humanity, since everything that human beings do is done to obtain it, and is obtained through the achievement of full excellence of the soul. Happiness is the greatest of all human goods, because, as an end, it is an end in itself, in the sense that human beings do not use it as a means to any other end. It is not conditional happiness that Aristotle praises, but rather something that is more similar 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. This is because the excellent soul is governed completely by its rational segment, as opposed to its irrational segment, and this government is achieved only through the cultivation of virtue, both moral, which is habituated, and intellectual, which is learned, which by definition it 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 excess nor deficiency, 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 that man performs is aimed at achieving a goal. You go to college to earn a degree. To get a good job you need a degree. You work to earn money. Degrees, work and money are just some of the many goals that human actions aim to achieve. There is no action without purpose, or without purpose, because even actions that seem frivolous are intended to achieve the purpose of satisfying the whim of the person performing the act. These ends are considered good, even if some are better than others... middle of paper... the soul is subjected to the rational segment, then happiness is achieved. Everything on earth has a purpose, a niche to fill, and so it is with man. Therefore, since happiness is the greatest function of man, since it is the end towards which all human actions tend and being uniquely human, it is logical that the only life worth living is the one spent in the correct pursuit of happiness. Such seeking, or cultivation, is an activity of the human soul because happiness can only be achieved through the attainment of perfect virtue, which by its very definition is the excellence of the soul. Happiness, therefore, is the realization of the purpose of humanity, the final and definitive fulfillment of its function resulting in the contentment of the excellent soul. Works Cited Aristotle and Martin Ostwald. Nicomachean Ethics. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1980. Print.