This is the Greek word for function, which
is a concept that plays an important role in Aris-
totle's moral theory. For Aristotle, the ergon of
an object is more than just what we may use that object for—rather, it is whatever activity makes
that object the sort of thing that it is. For exam-
ple, although we can use a knife to hammer a
nail into a wall if we wish, this is not the knife's
ergon. Rather, a knife's ergon is to cut. For dis-
cussion, see Thomas Nagel's "Aristotle on Eu-
daimonia."
Hunter 
Hunter