How do different civilizations define the existence of man? There is no concrete answer yet many philosophers ponder over explaining the role of nature. Is it man's place to seek out truth, or should man wait until the truth finds him? Should one avoid desire in order to avoid suffering, or should he desire and hope not to suffer? Where does man go after death and when does reincarnation end? All of these questions were analyzed and explained in theories and principles by the ancient Chinese, Indians and Greeks. The ancient philosophers mirror each other yet differ in their beliefs of man.
The purpose of man and/or the purpose of life was a common question that ancient Greek, Indian and Chinese people frequently discussed. Three of the most famous Greek philosophers had something to say on why man was put on earth and what man was going to do while on earth. Aristotle believed in political naturalism, which stated that by nature man engages in political behavior. Under this belief, it was considered normal to create a government to take care of the needs of man. The Greeks should hire trash people to take out the trash, teachers to teach the children, and a government to set rules and punish those that break them. Aristotle also believed in golden mean, the idea that you should be good at a variety of things rather then have one specialty. To disagree with Aristotle's statement, Plato put out an idea on specialization. Specialization was that every man was born with a special talent whether he knew it or not. According to Plato, you person needed to find the talent you excelled in, and then specialize in it. Although Plato and Aristotle have different views on the number of subjects to specialize in, both philosophers shared the principle of teleology. Teleology identifies the nature of a thing above all with its end or final cause. The end of a thing is also its function.