Humanity has been expanding and advancing for as long as we have existed. It seems like we have an insatiable desire for creating new things and developing our influence as far and wide as possible. Logically, and based on some recent experience, we will eventually expand past our world and begin to colonize the cosmos. However, such a feat will require massive amounts of energy. In 1964 Nikolai Kardashev proposed a scale that measures an intelligent civilization based on the amount of energy consumption and control that the society possesses. He separated civilization into a four-part scale measuring the technological advancement of society. Eventually, his scale came to bear his name and be known as The Kardashev Scale.
Type 0 Civlization
We are a Type 0 civilization. That’s right; we haven’t made any progress up the scale yet. A type 0 survives off consumable energy. For us, that looks like fossil fuels, natural gas, etc. A type 0 can utilize renewable energy; however, for a type 0 civilization, renewables are just a piece of the equation.
Type 1 Civilization
A Type 1 civilization is released from reliance on consumables and turns entirely to renewable energy. This transition is mainly based on the power from the sun. Solar must become the most prevalent energy source on earth, but it must become much more efficient than it is today. This power would allow this society to leave the world and begin colonizing and terraforming other planets within its solar system.
Type 2 Civilization
A Type 2 civilization would have successfully terraformed, colonized, and ascended to a type 1 civilization on at least one other planet in its solar system. To begin considering colonization outside of the civilization host solar system, a much more impressive amount of energy is necessary. This civilization would require the ability to harness the power of the sun.
It is proposed that such a society would utilize a theoretical mega-structure known as a Dyson Sphere to harness the radiation from its host star. This structure would be a massive ring that would encircle the star and harness its power. So, this much power would unlock interstellar travel.
Type 3 Civilization
A Type 3 civilization will have successfully harnessed the power of its host star to travel to another solar system within its host galaxy. This society will have successfully terraformed another planet and ascended to a type 2 level of energy consumption in that solar system. The next step for such a civilization would be intergalactic travel. Again, the level of energy consumption necessary for such a feat is immense.
A Type 3 civilization will need to harness the amount of energy available within its entire galaxy. Kardashev was unsure of a way in which this could be possible. However, since Kardashev first theorized his scale, other physicists have made their proposals. The leading theory is that this society would need to harness the energy of its galaxy’s black hole. Again, however, it is unknown how or if that could be possible.
Type 4 & 5 Civilizations
Kardashev ended his scale at type 3 because he did not believe that a society could extend past that point. Just as they did with theories regarding Type 3, other physicists have made theoretical additions to the scale. A type 4 scale successfully harnesses all the energy available within the known universe. Most likely doing this by harnessing energy from all existent black holes or harnessing the power of dark matter.
A Type 5 civilization discovers the existence of other universes and finds a way to travel to those other universes. Finally, the type 5 civilization repeats the process in each of these other universes until all the available existent energy is harnessed.
Type Omega and Type Omega II
Lastly, the final proposed levels of civilizations are type omega and type omega II. These civilizations have harnessed all the available energy that exists. They have repeated the colonization process not just in all galaxies but all universes. The Omega society then seizes control of space, time, and matter. Management of time gives this society the ability to time travel. Control of space allows this society to manipulate space around themselves, thereby unlocking the ability to teleport. Finally, control of matter allows this civilization to use all matter and change the molecular composition to create resources from anything.
A Type Omega II civilization takes all of these skills and abilities to move from universe colonization to universe creation. A Type Omega II civilization effectively functions in a form similar to that of God.
Conclusion
Each of the types on the Kardashev scale is based on the civilization’s energy consumption. However, each example above lists possible ways that society could obtain such energy levels. The importance of the scale is not how they get energy but how much power they obtain and control. According. to the Kardashev scale, we are in our infancy as a civilization. But, some theorists believe we are only a matter of a couple of hundred years from ascending to a type 1 civilization.
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