The chief aims of man are something that has been pondered for centuries. While we may never know for sure, I can take a guess from some research and my own experiences. I am looking at this from a life or death perspective. I think that the two main ones are that in times of calm, to expand in knowledge, power, and wealth, and in times of distress, to survive. I will prove this by looking at the past and present, then by predicting the future.
             In the distant past mankind only had one goal, to survive. Run from the dinosaur, don't kick the alligator, etc. But eventually when people started liking accessories, such as utensils, clothes, and the other common comforts we take for granted, they wanted to get more of this when they weren't doing anything. So, when they were doing nothing they were learning something, and by learning it really helped them survive in times of distress. By gaining more money they made it easier to survive by having more resources at hand. By gaining power, they had more friends and/or peons to do their bidding to help them survive. So in this way they were the same. But in times of distress, none of this stuff mattered. It is: "The monster is coming! Run!" It's not: "The monster is coming! I should weigh myself down with all my possessions!" When something of distress is happening, you revert back to you basic instincts a.k.a. caveman instincts and just want to survive.
             Over the years and years of new inventions and products that make our life easier and more comfy, the two aims have become blurry and blended together. Nowadays if something bad is happening, it depends on the situation, you might grab something valuable to you, but more than likely you will just get away. Example: You are getting mugged, do you fight for your wallet/purse, or do you throw it and run? You run! You don't care about what is in that wallet
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