Everything You Need To Know About the Kardashev Scale

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Everything You Need To Know About the Kardashev Scale

Everyone is talking about the development of our civilization. But how to measure the extent of our development? In order to measure the extent of development and technological advancement of any civilization Soviet astronomer, Nikolai Kardashev in 1964 proposed a theory. This theory measures the extent of development by the amount of energy a civilization can utilize for technological advancement. Many astronomers argued by considering it completely hypothetical. They believed that we cannot measure the extent of advancement until we find out any extraterrestrial civilisation. While many astronomers strongly believed in this theory. They believed that the type of civilisations mentioned in the Kardashev Scale might exist in some distant galaxies. 

Kardashev ranked the advancement of civilisation into three categories. However, a hypothetical fourth type of civilisation was also included by some astrophysicists. These types are:

  1. Type I civilisation
  2. Type II civilisation
  3. Type III civilisation
Type I Civilisation:

Type I is assigned to a civilisation that can use all the energy it receives from its natural sources like solar, wind, hydro etc. This type is also known as Planetary civilisation. Currently, the Earth receives about 2×10^17 watts of energy and we use only 2×10^13 watts of it. This means we receive four times higher amounts of energy than we use. However, being able to use all the Earth's energy means we must control almost all-natural energy forces. This means we might be able to control volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes up to a certain extent. This might seems impossible today, but still, there's a hope that we might achieve that too. Controlling all the natural forces is just the base of Type I. Antimatters could also play a vital role in providing such high energy consumption. 

Carl Sagan stated that by studying the present situation, we are a type 0.7 civilisation. Kardshev strongly believed that there is a high probability that extraterrestrial civilisation has already achieved Type I. Michio Kaku once stated that the next 100 years of our technological advancement will decide whether we will thrive or perish. With the present rate, some astronomers believe that it will take the next 100 to 200 years for humans to achieve Type I civilisation. According to Kaku, we might also be able to build "ocean cities". Once we reach the Type I civilisation we will be able to use all the natural, renewable resources with much greater efficiency. After achieving Type I next comes Type II.

Type II Civilisation: 

This type is also known as Stellar Civilisation. This type of civilisation is capable of using all the energy of its Sun (parent star). The best example is the construction of the Dyson Sphere. This hypothetical sphere has the capability to use every single bit of a star's energy. This is about being able to consume 4×10^26 watts of energy.

It would be impossible to destroy any civilisation of this type by any means. At this stage, civilisation would have greater control over the star's nuclear reactions. If humans reach this stage then nothing could end our existence, not even the expansion of the Sun or the collision of Andromeda with the Milky Way. If any asteroid as large as the Moon gets to hit the Earth, then we would easy vaporise it even before it enters the Earth's orbit. At this stage, we can easily move any planet as big as Jupiter from its orbit. At this stage, antimatter can also be produced industrially. 

It is believed that with the present rate of advancement it will take the next 2000-3000 years for humans to reach the Type II civilisation.

Type III Civilisation:

In type III a civilisation would be able to consume energy comparable to the entire galaxy. At this stage, a civilisation would master all forms of energy. Not only it will use all energy of its parent star, but it can also use the energy of a distant star. Imagine humans using the energy of Proxima Centauri or the Betelgeuse! Any type III civilisation could easily master the energy of the entire galaxy. For this humans must be able to consume 4×10^44 watts of energy, equivalent to the luminosity of the entire Milky Way.

At this stage, making artificial stars larger than the Sun is also possible. We can also easily use the energy of the entire black hole, no matter how big it is. It is believed that by the time we reach type III civilisation, humans would be a cybernetic organisms as a result of biological and mechanical evolution. In other words, humans would be a mixture of organic matter and mechanical parts. It would take around 100,000 years of evolution (both biological and mechanical) to reach this stage.

By this time humans would have mastered all types of physical and mental disorders. No one would be handicapped or will have Alzheimer's disease. We would be practically immortal. Travelling between two planets or stars would be like changing metro stations. We would completely master over the laws of physics. 

Kardashev believed that the Type IV civilisation is impossible, so he mentioned only three types. However many extensions are made to the original scale by many researchers. Some believe that type IV civilisation can use the energy of the entire universe, Type V can use energy in multiverses. However, all these theories seem impossible with the present scenario.

Referring to the Kardashev scale, John Barrow also proposed the alternative civilisation ratings of the humans. He mentioned stages from Type I minus to Type Omega- minus.

(1) Type I- minus: This stage includes mastering the entire mechanical engineering, that is capable of making machines of human size or even larger. 

(2) Type II- minus: This includes mastering biomedical engineering, which includes manipulating DNA structures, transplanting genetic codes or structures, modifying the genetics etc. 

(3) Type III- minus: This includes mastering Chemical engineering, where we can modify and manipulate the molecular and atomic bonds of any material or even creating new material.

(4) Type IV- minus: This includes mastering Nanotechnology, which is making new materials and manipulating them at nanoscales. In other words, mastering the entire world of the nanoscale.

(5) Type V- minus: At this stage, humans will master the entire Nuclear physics, like controlling the radioactive nuclei, physics of nuclear fission and fission, etc.

(6) Type VI- minus: It is a one-step advancement of type V where humans will be able to manipulate entire particle physics including quarks, bosons, Higgs, leptons etc.

(7) Type Omega- minus: This includes mastering space and time. This might include time travels through wormholes. 

The scale proposed by Barrow is a lot more practical than that by Kardashev. Many scientists believe that humans are somewhere between type II- minus and type III- minus. However, today we are researching in all fields including nanotechnology and quantum physics. All these types of civilisation, whether by Kardashev or by Barrow seems impossible to achieve with today's technology. But will future advancements, human civilisation will also climb these steps.     


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