What Is The Kardashev Scale?

How advanced can a civilization become? The technological advancement of a civilization will be dependent upon how much energy that civilization has at its disposal. In 1964, the astronomer Nikolai Kardashev presented a paper that sought to classify a civilization based on the amount of energy it uses. The scale he provided defined three types of civilization. What are these three different types of civilization and what would they be capable of?

Civilization Types

The amount of energy a civilization consumes will define where it falls on the Kardashev Scale. These civilization types are numbered from one to three, with the amount of energy growing exponentially. The lowest civilization type, called a type 1 civilization, would have the energy equivalent of an entire planet. A type 1 civilization is one that has become advanced enough to consume and store the entire energy content of its home planet. This would give a type 1 civilization complete control over their home world, allowing them to control the geology and the environment of an entire planet. Next is a type 2 civilization. A type 2 civilization is one that has advanced to such a point that they can harness the entire energy output of a star. Since stars are some of the most energetic objects in the universe, a type 2 civilization would have a vast amount of energy to work with, possibly allowing them to have complete control over an entire solar system. Last is a type 3 civilization.  A type 3 civilization will have become so advanced that they can harness the entire energy output of a galaxy. A type 3 civilization would be one that has traversed their home galaxy, harnessing the energy of every star. A type 3 civilization would be so advanced that their technology would likely be indistinguishable from magic if we were to ever encounter it. 

What Type Of Civilization Are We?

Humanity consumes a lot of energy, yet we have not yet developed the technology required for harnessing the entire energy output of the Earth. We are currently more advanced than at any other point in history, yet we are not a type 1 civilization just yet. Based on the amount of energy we consume and the amount of energy contained on Earth, scientists estimate that our current civilization is a type 0.73. If our energy consumption continues at the rate it is, humanity will likely become a type 1 civilization in the next couple hundred years, a type 2 in the next few thousand years, and a type 3 in the next one million years. 

Other Civilization Types

Some scientists have expanded on the Kardashev Scale to include type 4 and type 5 civilizations. It is important to note that these civilization types are entirely theoretical, yet it is still interesting to consider. A type 4 civilization will be able to harness the energy output of the observable universe, possibly even allowing them to control cosmic events on a vast scale. A civilization such as this is beyond what we could understand. A type 5 civilization is one that controls multiple universes, assuming of course other universes even exist. A type 5 civilization would be indistinguishable from gods to us, and they may even have the ability to create entire universes.