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Not all those who wander are lost...
The Kardashev Scale – The Future and Scope of Civilizations - (v.7.0)
Introduction:
The Kardashev Scale is a methodological tool for measuring a hypothetical civilization's level of technological advancement, based on the amount of energy a civilization is able to utilize. The scale as presented here has six designated categories called Type 0, I, II, III, IV, and V. When it was first proposed in 1964 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev, it only described the Type I, II, and III categories. It was later refined and improved upon by American astronomer Carl Sagan who devised a convenient way of categorizing the interval steps between the traditional broad categories (not elaborated on in this article but worth investigation). It has since been unofficially modified by others to include six primary categories (the latter two highly speculative).
Soviet astronomer, Nikolai Kardashev and American astronomer and popularizer of science, Carl Sagan
The Kardashev Scale has been praised for being a practical method of cataloging cosmic civilization potentialities because it deals with energy consumption instead of specific details about technology. Although this article deals heavily with speculative technology (to make it fun), the general scope of each type of civilization still applies even if certain technologies mentioned below are found to be impossible or our understanding of the concepts themselves become radically altered in the real future.
Answering Some Criticisms:
Some of the primary criticisms that the Kardashev Scale receives deal with its inability to give details about technology and social evolution as well as its inability to predict exactly what the implications are for energy consumption levels regarding the scope of advancement. To answer the former, it has to be noted that Kardashev’s scale was never meant to be used as a technology guide or a set of benchmarks for social evolution. The scale relies solely on the concept of potential energy consumption and the view that going higher up the consumption ladder should logically indicate a civilization going higher up the ladders of technological advancement. I think the assumption that an increase in energy consumption leads to the increase in technological ability and social stability is a logical one to make given all that we know about the impact of energy consumption on human technological and sociological evolution. As for the latter criticism, it is not inappropriate to assume that, in the case of a Type II civilization as an example, with stellar amounts of energy comes a stellar-spanning civilization (if you're using the energy from multiple stars, your civilization will be spread out among multiple solar systems). It’s inevitable. To give an example of why the Kardashev Scale has value:
For instance, suppose that one night a SETI research astronomer discovers signals coming from a star that are unmistakably artificial, meaning they come from an intelligent species in another solar system and are clearly not caused by natural phenomena. Say he/she studies this star for years eavesdropping on their broadcasts when, after careful analysis, it starts to become apparent that the light from that star is gradually getting dimmer and dimmer until one day, several years down the road, the star disappears. Our astronomer might assume that the civilization that is sending the signals built a Dyson Sphere around that star in order to harness its total energy output (see here if you are unfamiliar with the engineering concept of the Dyson Sphere). The Kardashev Scale would let us categorize this civilization as a potential Type II since the evidence would suggest that this civilization is harnessing the total power of a star (around 10^26 watts).
Another Example:
This classification would then allow people in other fields to speculate about what that much power would allow technologically and about how such a powerful society would function politically, economically, and socially (Carl Sagan makes a good case for why advanced civilizations would have to be socially stable and progressive; look it up if you’re interested). The reason I am stressing this point is to make it clear that while the Kardashev Scale is ultimately unable to shed much light on the details of future civilizations, it is a great starting point to foster theoretical conversations for real world astronomy, astrobiology, technology, and social evolution - and a fantastic way to outline the level of advancement for civilizations featured in science fiction. Ultimately, the things I’ve written regarding what the types below could offer technologically are educated guesses using the most recent ideas coming out of science, but guesses nonetheless. (Most of the technological and social details below come from the books and speeches of theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku, who himself consulted over 300 experts in various fields to help form his assumptions - assumptions this article relies heavily on).
More specific criticisms (I will add to this periodically as concerns are brought to my attention. Also see the comments below for a few discussions of interest.)
Concluding Thoughts:
A factor of 10 billion separates the different types when it comes to energy consumption. Assuming a steady (and generous) 3% per year growth rate, we humans should attain Type I status in about 100 years; Type II status in about 800-1000 years; Type III status within 10,000 years (these timescales ignore the potential for revolutionary future advancements in technology and science that are currently beyond our ability to predict, things that could drastically speed up the process. The computer revolution for our own civilization is an example of this).
Each type of civilization below graduates to the next level when it has exhausted its energy sources and is forced (and able) to find new ones that satisfies its needs. Below, the categories assume that faster-than-light travel will one day be possible, but even if FTL is ultimately forever impossible, the growth of interstellar civilization as detailed below can still apply, albeit at a much slower rate. Research “Alcubierre Drive” and “worm holes” for promising potential technologies that could allow for FTL using loopholes in Einstein’s theory of relativity. Also, for further information on the Kardashev Scale, theoretical physics, science fiction technologies, and futurology, the following will be of interest to the scientifically minded:
• Books by Michio Kaku:
o Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension
o Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century
o Parallel Worlds: A Journey through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos
o Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel
o Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and our Daily Lives by the Year 2100
• “The Physics of Star Trek”: book by Lawrence M. Krauss
• “The Science of Star wars”: book by Jeanne Cavelos
• Books by Ray Kurzweil
• Tvtropes.org - related searches
• Wikipedia.org - related searches
• Mkaku.org
• Newton.dep.anl.gov - related searches
As you read the stuff below, keep in mind that we humans may one day achieve these things. It’s also fun to think about the possibility that some extraterrestrial species may have already achieved the statuses outlined below. The biggest hurdle for humanity is making it to Type I status. There is no guarantee we’ll get there, but if we don’t destroy ourselves and actually make it to Type I, the future becomes highly optimistic for us. This article is primarily for science fiction buffs and those interested in futurology. Don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom. Enjoy!
Composite image of the Andromeda Galaxy
Type 0 Civilizations (Sub-planetary – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the sub-planetary level):
An aerial view of Manhattan, a late-stage Type 0 city
Type 0s begin exploring their solar system
A Type 0 civilization is one that is just beginning to tap planetary resources but does not have the technology and resources needed to control them. This category includes everything from the Neolithic Revolution to the modern day. A Type 0 civilization like ours derives its energy from dead plants: fossil fuels like oil and coal. It burns wood and requires (especially in the Third World) large amounts of raw human labor. It matures to the point where it utilizes the power of steam, electricity, and chemical combustion indicative of an industrial revolution. Type 0 civilizations go through several stages of growth: agricultural, industrial, informational, biomolecular, chemical, quantum, atomic, artificial intelligence, etc, and these are all inevitable byproducts of a Type 0 civilization growing into a Type I. Type 0s span from primitive hunting and gathering communities to the semi-unified globalizing industrial world of international interaction like ours, where borderless communication, transportation, commerce, and culture is widespread. Space programs are formed but only rudimentary exploration of the solar system is undertaken. Economic/political unions are usually formed in a Type 0’s later years and international peace becomes important but hard to achieve due to political interests, economics, poor education, extremism, nationalism, poverty, and large scale competition.
Type 0 civilizations cannot control the weather; they even have difficulties predicting it. The largest energy source available to a Type 0 civilization is the hydrogen bomb. Type 0s gain large amounts of scientific knowledge but do not have the capabilities to control most of the applications. Fusion is discovered but uncontrollable. Instead of fusion power generators, Type 0s can only harness fusion energy in uncontrolled explosions, but fission power is utilized (albeit irresponsibly). When a Type 0 civilization enters its nuclear age, its level of technology begins to outrace its social and political maturity. Conflicts among different countries and regions are rampant, proliferation of dangerous weapons is commonplace, and the underdeveloped use of technology in general poses a serious threat to a Type 0’s future. The combination of artificial and natural disasters makes Type 0 civilizations extremely prone to extinction; Type 0s have self-destructive tendencies and are unable to defend themselves from cosmic danger. Racism, fundamentalism, sectarianism, nationalism, etc are commonplace and are powerful forces that hold Type 0 societies back.
On this scale, modern Earth in the year 2014 is at 0.78 (according to Carl Sagan and others). It is on the verge of attaining Type I status in about a century if the issues that hold us back can be rectified. In science fiction, the genre of Cyberpunk, the civilization in “E.Y.E.S. of Mars,” and the world of the Power Rangers would all probably qualify as Type 0 civilizations. Our 0.7 civilization has a “power level” of about 10^13 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Type I Civilizations (Planetary – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the planetary level):
A scene from “Gears of War”; a Type I civilization
An artist’s depiction of a Mars colony
A Type I civilization is one that controls the energy resources of an entire planet or multiple planets. This civilization utilizes all of the sunlight that hits their planet and can control the weather, prevent earthquakes, mine deep into their planet’s crust, and harvest the oceans. This type of civilization has already completed the exploration of its solar system, and has also colonized and utilized most of its resources (mining asteroids and comets, set up colonies on moons and planets, etc). As mentioned above, Type Is have mastered ALL forms of terrestrial energy allowing them to create and modify weather conditions, mine the oceans, extract energy from the atmosphere, mine their planet’s core, and extract resources from other bodies in their solar system. Large scale fusion power is used as well as hydroelectric, solar satellites, and other forms of clean renewable energies which dominate. Antimatter energy starts to become usable but remains in its infancy. Cities can be built on the oceans and other bodies in the solar system; ushering in an era of civilization where populations live freely over the entire surface of their planet and neighboring planets and satellites, as well as on sophisticated orbiting space stations. A Type I civilization’s energy requirements are so large that they must (and are capable) of harnessing the total resources of one or more planets in order to function and grow.
Type I civilizations have a remarkable degree of social cooperation on a planetary scale. Social organization must be very complex and advanced in order for a Type I society to function. Type Is require a cohesive social unit that encompasses the entire planet’s population; planetary civilizations are unable to function on a smaller scale. Type I civilizations have sophisticated global communication systems, advanced transportation abilities, and a world culture that unifies the species. Type I civilizations have very little factional, religious, sectarian, and nationalistic struggles that typify their origins. Worldwide political stability is achieved along with the abolition of poverty. Economic equality is achieved through the rise of a universal middle class made possible by a planetary economy (that arises through some kind of socialism or a humanizing of capitalism; a day when intellectual capital surpasses commodity capital). This is feasible due to an abundance of material wealth, energy, and resources achieved by technological advancement. Racial differences begin to fade away and evolution slows due to the population mechanics of a mixing species. Countries may still exist, but they will not be important divisions. A universal language emerges that abolishes the world’s language barriers, but cultural and linguistic diversity can still exist. Life expectancy grows tremendously thanks to leaps in medicine and genetic engineering, and wars are all but a thing of the past. Minor internal conflicts may break out, but they never get too far out of hand. If wars do occur, they are primarily carried out by robots. Artificial Intelligence reaches the singularity and advanced robotic beings (definitely sentient and perhaps emotional) become an integral part of the society. Transhumanism also becomes a real possibility. Nanotechnology allows for matter fabrication and manipulation, AI allows for cheap labor, and fusion energy and the abundance of raw materials obtained by utilizing an entire solar system means cheap energy and little to no scarcity.
Information is practically free and accessible to everyone. The planet’s populations become effectively 100% urban. The use of space elevators makes orbital space travel extremely cheap and the cost of interplanetary space travel is drastically low compared to the costs of a Type 0 civilization. Space travel is carried out using ion, plasma, ramjet fusion, and laser/solar sail engine designs and an interplanetary highway system is constructed, eventually allowing quick interplanetary transportation for everyone. Type I civilizations will spend centuries terraforming and colonizing planets and moons in their solar system. Type Is will also begin an interstellar age but large extraterrestrial colonies on other star systems will be immensely difficult to maintain and travel to other stars will be very costly and take long periods of time. Experimental probes will be sent to explore nearby star systems. Type Is are also prone to extinction by means of natural disaster on extraplanetary scales - supernovae for example.
In science fiction, the civilization of “Buck Rogers,” the world of “Flash Gordon,” the humans in “Gears of War,” the human civilization in Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Saga,” the humans of E.E. Smith’s “Triplanetary,” the world of “Cowboy Bebop,” the civilizations in “Farscape,” the civilization in “Firefly,” the humans in John Kilgannon’s “A Miracle of Science,”, the 12 colonies of Kobol (prior to the Cylon bombardment) in “Battlestar Galactica,” the sub-Vorlon/Shadow civilizations of “Babylon 5,” the humans in “Freelancer,” the early years of the “Star Trek” mythos, the Delphons of Andrey Livandy’s “The History of the Galaxy,” the Krell of “Forbidden Planet,” the Tau, Orks, and non-imperium humans in “Warhammer 40,000,” would all probably qualify as Type I civilizations (varying wildly along the spectrum). A Type I civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^17 – 10^24 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Type II Civilizations (Stellar – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the stellar level):
The NCC 1701-D, USS Enterprise from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
The SSV Normandy SR-1 from “Mass Effect”
A Type II civilization is one that controls the power of stars. This does not mean passively harnessing solar energy; this civilization mines their sun and eventually nearby stars. The energy needs of this civilization are so large that it directly consumes the power of the stars to drive its machines. Their energy requirements are so great that they have exhausted planetary sources; they use Dyson Spheres or similar concepts to take advantage of a star’s total energy output. This kind of civilization will begin to colonize local star systems and take advantage of the raw materials, energy, and resources of planets, moons, and suns of multiple stellar systems. Type IIs are also able to actively manipulate stars and solar systems; being able to ignite stars or induce stellar death. They can potentially harness energy from supernovae, black holes, and gamma ray bursters. They have the ability to move planets and other large astronomical bodies, making them architects and choreographers of nature at the stellar level. Type II civilizations have nearly mastered the gravitational force, allowing them to utilize wormholes and warped space-time (if eventually possible to do so) for their travel needs. This kind of civilization is fully capable of exploring their galactic neighborhood, allowed only by using the vast amounts of the energy and resources of entire solar systems to function and grow.
Type IIs can probably utilize and colonize anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand star systems, making Type II civilizations completely immune to most forms of extinction. Type IIs are immune to most artificial and all natural disasters; even supernovae can be manipulated or the civilization is at least able to move their species away from the danger. There is virtually no internal conflict or factional divides among the species. Matter-antimatter engines and energy is commonplace and replaces fusion as the most effective energy source. Warp drives, if possible, are feasible, but still somewhat exotic and belongs in the hands of organizations rather than the average person. Type II civilizations are able to scramble their broadcasting signals in ways so that packets of information arrive in several different frequencies which are able to be unscrambled by a receiver. This would be necessary if a Type II civilization wanted to hide its emissions from lesser civilizations. Nanotechnology is utilized to send millions of replicating Von Neumann nano-probes around the galaxy and artificial intelligence becomes as common as organic life; robots and other forms of synthetic life are completely integrated into all aspects of society in a Type II civilization. Life expectancy could reach immortality.
Type II civilizations can eventually colonize and manipulate entire star clusters. A Type II’s range of control goes from the mastery of its own solar system and perhaps a neighboring one, to the mastery of entire galactic sectors, ushering in the era of a small galactic civilization. In science fiction, the groups in Dan Simmons’ “Hyperion Cantos,” the Dom Ka’vosh from “Freelancer,” the Vorlons of “Babylon 5,” the Imperium of Man from “Warhammer 40,000,” the unseen aliens in Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” series, the maximum tech levels of the “Space Empires” games, the Protoss in “Starcarft,” the United Federation of Planets, Klingon Empire, the Romulans, etc in the “Star Trek” universe, the civilizations in Larry Niven’s “Ringworld,” the UNSC and Covenant in the “Halo” universe, the Humans, Turians, Asari, Salarians, and others in “Mass Effect,” would all probably qualify as Type II civilizations (varying wilding along the spectrum). A Type II civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^26 – 10^36 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
IMPORTANT NOTE: POST-SCARCITY ECONOMICS: From this point on (Type II) in the Kardashev Scale, it should be assumed that society has achieved post-scarcity. In a post-scarcity society, the economy is no longer dependent on money as a medium of trade (in theory, moneyless societies are also possible before post-scarcity, but post-scarcity ensures it without a doubt as it makes wages impossible). In societies as advanced as these, it is most reasonable to assume that sophisticated automation (artificial intelligence, virtual intelligence, non-sentient labor bots), nanofabrication (matter manipulation at the atomic level), and the acquisition of abundant free energy (stellar lifting and dyson capturing) would effectively reduce the prices of manufacturing and distributing goods, as well as the providing of services, to $0. In this kind of superabundance economy, money loses its value. If you want something, you get it. If you need something, you are provided with it. There would be no need for compensation as everything is free to make, use, and own thanks to the technology of this level. Post-scarcity economics means that technological advances ensure that all constituents of the society have their needs for material goods and services met. All essential work is performed (as far as possible) by sophisticated non-sentient devices that do not require incentives to work (who are powered by abundant free energy and use resources made via nanofabrication), freeing sentients (synthetic and organic) to do only things that they enjoy (administrative work requiring sentience would be undertaken by AIs using a bare fraction of their mental power, or by people who take on the work out of free choice), ushering in an era of technological utopianism. As a consequence, societies at Type II or beyond would have no need of economic constructs such as money (which is reduced to being valueless. When energy is free to harness, when the resources that are used to manufacture are produced effortlessly and for free, and when labor bots do all the non-creative hard labor for free, compensation becomes meaningless. Even sentients that want to voluntarily undertake the providing of services or undertake doing hard labor can't be paid in an economy that will give them whatever they want in return for free anyway.). While in principle post-scarcity moneylessness is also possible with Type I societies, it would most likely arise once a society has mastered stellar energy.
Type III Civilizations (Galactic – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the galactic level):
Battle over Coruscant, from “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”
A Reaper from “Mass Effect 3”
A Type III civilization is one that controls the power of an entire galaxy. Type IIIs are capable of harnessing the power of billions of star systems. Type III civilizations have mastered space-time and can manipulate it at will. Faster-than-light travel and communication has become commonplace even for average people, allowing for quick taxi rides between different sectors of a galaxy. They can harness the power of black holes, supernovae, quasars, gamma ray bursters, etc with ease, Type IIIs can even harness the energy found at the galactic core; effectively giving them unlimited energy for their needs. Type IIIs can harness the Planck energy, allowing them to explore (if possible) hyperspace and other universes. Type III civilizations start out by controlling multiple star clusters and sectors of a galaxy until they manage to spread out through and have the ability to utilize the entire galaxy itself. Nanotechnology via Von Neumann probes has allowed for trillions of replicating nanobots, robots, cyborgs, etc to spread throughout the galaxy to undertake unmanned colonization and manipulation of any and every corner of the galaxy. The galaxy is full of artificial intelligence and/or Cyborg life forms. Life expectancy reaches immortality, where organic and synthetic life is of equal status and interconnected. Galaxy wide faster-than-light communication and transportation is possible via wormholes or other exotic phenomena and is commonplace. Type IIIs have so much energy at their disposal that they can perhaps create bubble universes and explore other dimensions and the multiverse (if they exist). Type IIIs are impervious to all forms of extinction because this kind of civilization inhabits most corners of one or more galaxies. Type III civilizations function under a sophisticated multispecies political network consisting of millions to billions of worlds connected by industry and culture.
Type III civilizations would effectively be using advanced Type II techniques, but applied to all possible stars of one or perhaps more individual galaxies. In science fiction, the Galactic Republic/Empire in “Star Wars,” the Galactic Empire in Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series, the humans in the “Xenosaga” series, the Galactic Union of E.E. Smith’s “Lensman” series, the Galactic Community of Worlds in Olaf Stapledon’s “Star Maker,” the aliens in Carl Sagan’s “Contact,” the humans in Stephen Baxter’s “Manifold: Time,” H.P. Lovecraft’s “Mi-go,” the civilizations in “Orion’s Arm,” the Forerunners in “Halo,” the Reapers and the Leviathans in “Mass Effect,” the Ancient Humanoids from “Star Trek,” the Asgard in "Stargate," would all probably qualify as Type III civilizations (varying wildly along the spectrum). The Borg from “Star Trek” are on the verge of attaining Type III status (at least technologically). A Type III civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^37 – 10^40 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Type IV Civilizations (Extragalactic to Godlike – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials from multiple galaxies to the entire universe and beyond):
An armada of Xeelee Nightfighters from the “Xeelee Sequence”
Assimilator Claws from the “Xeelee Sequence”
A Type IV civilization is a hyperadvanced civilization that has went beyond its home galaxy and mastered multiple galaxies. It can eventually become the master of galaxy clusters and superclusters; effectively reaching the point where it controls the entire visible universe or beyond. In this kind of civilization, life ceases to be a trace contaminant of the universe and becomes an integral part of its mechanics. Type IV civilizations become chorographers of energy, matter, space, and time on scales far beyond anything the previous types can muster. Type IVs can manipulate planets, moons, stars, star clusters, galaxies, galaxy clusters, galaxy superclusters, and eventually advances to the point where it is able to control the energy output of the entire universe in general with relative ease. Type IV civilizations can harness dark energy and the energy of the vacuum, perhaps allowing them to utilize and manipulate regions beyond the universe. Life expectancy is immortal; they can even escape the heat death of the universe, or perhaps manipulate the universe’s fate.
A Type IV civilization starts out by mastering their own local supercluster of galaxies, then ultimately reaches the point where they can extract from all possible galaxies and even beyond; their impact and influence bleeds over into the multiverse. In science fiction, the Ancients of the “X-Universe” series, the Timelords and Daleks from “Doctor Who,” the “Overarch Bedeckants,” the Judeo-Christian God, the Non-ascended Ancients from “Stargate,” the Great Beings from “Bionicle,” the Xeelee civilization of Stephen Baxter’s “Xeelee Sequence,” the Downstreamers from Stephen Baxter’s “Manifold” series, the Combine from the "Half-Life" series, the Outsiders of “X-Universe,” the First Guardians from “Homestuck,” the aliens at the end of the first “Men in Black” movie, DC’s “Guardians of the Universe,” would all probably qualify as Type IV civilizations. A Type IV civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^42 - 10^ 51 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Type V Civilizations (Godlike – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials from…everything):
Q, a member of the Q Continuum from the Star Trek franchise
An Ascended Ancient from the Stargate franshise
Infinity
A Type V civilization has transcended its universe of origin and inhabits and manipulates the multiverse or other higher-order membranes of existence. Type Vs are capable of multiverse-scale manipulation of individual discrete universes from an external frame of reference. Type V civilizations have mastered all of existence and can bend it to their will.
In science fiction, the Q Continuum from the “Star Trek” franchise, the Ascended Ancients from "Stargate", the Infinite Consortium from “Magic: The Gathering,” the Markovians from Jack Chalker’s “Well Worlds,” and perhaps the Downstreamers from Stephen Baxter’s “Manifold: Time” would probably qualify as Type V civilizations.
Introduction:
The Kardashev Scale is a methodological tool for measuring a hypothetical civilization's level of technological advancement, based on the amount of energy a civilization is able to utilize. The scale as presented here has six designated categories called Type 0, I, II, III, IV, and V. When it was first proposed in 1964 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev, it only described the Type I, II, and III categories. It was later refined and improved upon by American astronomer Carl Sagan who devised a convenient way of categorizing the interval steps between the traditional broad categories (not elaborated on in this article but worth investigation). It has since been unofficially modified by others to include six primary categories (the latter two highly speculative).
Soviet astronomer, Nikolai Kardashev and American astronomer and popularizer of science, Carl Sagan
The Kardashev Scale has been praised for being a practical method of cataloging cosmic civilization potentialities because it deals with energy consumption instead of specific details about technology. Although this article deals heavily with speculative technology (to make it fun), the general scope of each type of civilization still applies even if certain technologies mentioned below are found to be impossible or our understanding of the concepts themselves become radically altered in the real future.
Answering Some Criticisms:
Some of the primary criticisms that the Kardashev Scale receives deal with its inability to give details about technology and social evolution as well as its inability to predict exactly what the implications are for energy consumption levels regarding the scope of advancement. To answer the former, it has to be noted that Kardashev’s scale was never meant to be used as a technology guide or a set of benchmarks for social evolution. The scale relies solely on the concept of potential energy consumption and the view that going higher up the consumption ladder should logically indicate a civilization going higher up the ladders of technological advancement. I think the assumption that an increase in energy consumption leads to the increase in technological ability and social stability is a logical one to make given all that we know about the impact of energy consumption on human technological and sociological evolution. As for the latter criticism, it is not inappropriate to assume that, in the case of a Type II civilization as an example, with stellar amounts of energy comes a stellar-spanning civilization (if you're using the energy from multiple stars, your civilization will be spread out among multiple solar systems). It’s inevitable. To give an example of why the Kardashev Scale has value:
For instance, suppose that one night a SETI research astronomer discovers signals coming from a star that are unmistakably artificial, meaning they come from an intelligent species in another solar system and are clearly not caused by natural phenomena. Say he/she studies this star for years eavesdropping on their broadcasts when, after careful analysis, it starts to become apparent that the light from that star is gradually getting dimmer and dimmer until one day, several years down the road, the star disappears. Our astronomer might assume that the civilization that is sending the signals built a Dyson Sphere around that star in order to harness its total energy output (see here if you are unfamiliar with the engineering concept of the Dyson Sphere). The Kardashev Scale would let us categorize this civilization as a potential Type II since the evidence would suggest that this civilization is harnessing the total power of a star (around 10^26 watts).
Another Example:
Suppose astronomers take a very detailed and high resolution image of a distant galaxy and they notice that there are several swaths in the spiral arms that appear dark or appear to be missing. This could be a clue that there is an advanced civilization in that galaxy dyson sphering many millions or billions of stars in order to harness galactic amounts of energy. This would suggest a Type III civilization at work.
This classification would then allow people in other fields to speculate about what that much power would allow technologically and about how such a powerful society would function politically, economically, and socially (Carl Sagan makes a good case for why advanced civilizations would have to be socially stable and progressive; look it up if you’re interested). The reason I am stressing this point is to make it clear that while the Kardashev Scale is ultimately unable to shed much light on the details of future civilizations, it is a great starting point to foster theoretical conversations for real world astronomy, astrobiology, technology, and social evolution - and a fantastic way to outline the level of advancement for civilizations featured in science fiction. Ultimately, the things I’ve written regarding what the types below could offer technologically are educated guesses using the most recent ideas coming out of science, but guesses nonetheless. (Most of the technological and social details below come from the books and speeches of theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku, who himself consulted over 300 experts in various fields to help form his assumptions - assumptions this article relies heavily on).
More specific criticisms (I will add to this periodically as concerns are brought to my attention. Also see the comments below for a few discussions of interest.)
Humanity will always be too immature to handle interstellar diplomacy ethically. We can't behave ethically with our own species on this one planet, let alone with another species or other planets.
I really don't believe this for a second. I believe that we humans have an active potential to change who we are for the better. There will always be problems inherent to our species, but I have never seen any support for the notion that we are forever doomed to be unethical bigots for as long as we live. Society's mores slowly progress with time and I don't see that trend stopping. Slavery was once part of everyday life; accepted and tolerated without a second’s thought, yet look at us now. We made a huge ethical leap as a species when we abolished slavery (an extremely easy way to obtain raw labor) all in the name of ethics. Our species has abolished an extremely efficient economic system in the name of ethical progress, and slavery is just one among many other examples of major leaps we’ve undertaken. If we have made these leaps in the past, we can do it in the future. Also, keep in mind that the Earthlings that will reach the stars will not be us. They will be almost identical to us, but not us. They will be a people with more of our strengths and fewer of our weaknesses, be they humans or transhumans, they will have settled the ethical, political, and economic issues that currently hold us back. It wasn't that long ago that we stopped swinging from the trees - we are a very young species and it takes a long time to master a successful global society of egalitarianism and cooperation.
While I think it is unlikely, it is of course possible that humanity's technology will always outrace its social maturity to the point where we wreak havoc on the interstellar community, as can be seen in the movie “Avatar” by James Cameron. But like Carl Sagan, I believe that any species advanced enough to travel the galaxy and to have created universal prosperity internally, will naturally be ethically mature when it comes to any external relations with the environment and other beings. This is highly debatable however.
Wouldn't mining a planet's core have unforeseen detrimental effects? What about extracting metals from the different layers of Earth, wouldn't that be bad for the planet's health?
Not if done properly, which Type Is and above are bound to know how to do. Mining the core does not suggest actually manipulating the structure of the core itself, rather finding ways to capture the geothermal energy that the core radiates everyday; and this cannot harm the planet if done right. Nobody's talking about actually messing with the core's structure. Type Is would be able to utilize technologically sophisticated ways to capture and harness all the incredible energy emitted by the activity of the core and use it to drive its society. The core is releasing so much energy naturally every second, but Type 0s have to watch it go to waste. Type Is could finally tap this energy and harness its potential, and doing so does not suggest physical manipulation of the planet’s mechanics in detrimental ways. Capturing does not always imply manipulating the source, as in the case of capturing solar energy.
Also, the different layers of our planet have enough metallic resources to supply billions of people for untold thousands of years. Earth is big and thick. A Type I using its abilities to mine these metals isn't going to harm the planet at all if done responsibly; which a Type I will know how to do.
But just for argument’s sake, in case harnessing this geothermal energy (or extracting too much metal) actually would have detrimental effects on the planet, we would still have other bodies in our solar system that we could utilize if the need for geothermal energy sources and raw materials were great enough. Type Is could reignite the cores in these other bodies, supplying the Type I with all the geothermal energy it would need. Reigniting dead cores would also create a rich magnetic field around these bodies and perhaps reinstate their geological activity, which would be useful (probably essential) in the terraforming process as well.
When trying to tap geothermal energy, wouldn't a Type I civilization have to use more energy than it could gain in return? Would it be more efficient to harness solar energy rather than geothermal?
It's hard to say. Given our current Type 0 technology, yes, it would be a futile exercise. It would be a waste of time and energy as the resulting energy gain would not be enough to compensate the energy lost trying to extract it. But a Type I civilization will almost certainly actualize the technological capabilities necessary to achieve this.
While harnessing solar energy would be more easily accessed, there is no reason to believe that a Type I would not be able to efficiently harness geothermal energy given their potential for sophisticated technological capabilities. Both solar and geothermal would provide a Type I with incredible amounts of energy, so doing both would probably be ideal. I don’t see Type Is passing up the opportunity to harness the geothermal energy that is responsible for blowing mountains up in the form of volcanic explosions. In the case of harnessing solar energy by actually mining the sun or by using Dyson technologies to capture the sun’s total energy output (as Type IIs would have to do), using geothermal energy would probably be rendered obsolete (or at least not nearly as necessary).
How could a Type I civilization feed all the people it contains?
By the responsible use of land (on one or more bodies in the solar system), by implementing new waste prevention policies, and by utilizing nanofabrication technology to replicate/fabricate human resources such as food and water.
Doesn't nanofabrication violate the conservation of energy?
No. Nanofabrication does not create or destroy matter. Using nanobots (tiny atomic sized machines), matter is reassembled from existing matter. Electrons, protons, and neutrons are the three basic building blocks of all the baryonic elements in the universe. Rearranging (adding, removing, etc) these particles to create new atoms and new atomic structures (like molecules) from existing ones, would allow a Type I to create anything from anything else. Want to turn the air you breathe into a pizza? No problem. A series of trillions of self-replicating nanobots would pluck particles from the air molecules (and other abundant sources) and rearrange them to create the molecules necessary to form bread, sauce, and cheese.
All this stuff sounds more like science fiction than science fact.
All of the technologies listed in this article, while speculative; do not violate any known laws of physics. The challenges to creating these technologies and achieving these feats are mostly engineering problems. Also keep in mind that most of our current technology would have been viewed as science fiction in the past.
Hypothetically, if nanofabrication is unfeasible, how would Type Is obtain valuable and rare elements needed to maintain their society?
Anything we'd need can be found elsewhere in our solar system. Our solar system is a treasure trove of elements needed to drive a Type I society. The elements needed to sustain life and power our machines are all extremely common in the universe.
Wouldn’t sentient AI be upset over the use of slave labor bots?
No, because as discussed in the note on post-scarcity, construction of AI would be possible with varying degrees of intelligence and sentience. AI without the ability to reason and without self-awareness could be constructed to do the hard manual labor. Imagine our modern day factory equipment, but just infinitely better at its job. Sentient AI would not see this as slavery anymore than sentient organics would see a flu-shot as the enslavement of the flu virus. Sentient AI will rely on these non-sentient labor bots as much as we organics would. Any synthetic technology created with enough sophistication to be sentient will be granted the same rights that sentient organics possess.
Is it possible to achieve moneyless economics before post-scarcity?
In theory, yes, but this is hotly debated. While post-scarcity economics would ensure the abolition of wages, many Marxists, anarchists, and others believe such things can happen even right now in our pre-post-scarcity Type 0 society. There are many ideas about how to achieve this and what such an economy would look like. For more information see: here, here, here, here, and here.
A basic description is this: As long as you work to supply your community with its needs and wants you as an individual are entitled to the community’s supplies for free. The community would have hundreds of stores that cater to different wants and needs of everyone who works and you would have free access to all these goods and services as long as you don’t go overboard and start infringing on the wants and needs of others. John would work hard to cut down trees and have a lumber syndicate, and he would be okay with giving his lumber freely to a factory that needs it because the act of doing so entitles him to have free access to whatever he wants. That makes money as a trade medium obsolete in pre-post-scarcity. You don’t need to compensate people’s labor when the acting of laboring itself gives them access to everything. Those who don’t work would have no access to luxury. If Bob is lazy and doesn’t want to work, he’d be unable to get that new video game he wants. He’d go into the video game store and the retailer would have to refuse him service since his name isn’t on the labor books. Free consumption for all who work to supply the demand.
I really don't believe this for a second. I believe that we humans have an active potential to change who we are for the better. There will always be problems inherent to our species, but I have never seen any support for the notion that we are forever doomed to be unethical bigots for as long as we live. Society's mores slowly progress with time and I don't see that trend stopping. Slavery was once part of everyday life; accepted and tolerated without a second’s thought, yet look at us now. We made a huge ethical leap as a species when we abolished slavery (an extremely easy way to obtain raw labor) all in the name of ethics. Our species has abolished an extremely efficient economic system in the name of ethical progress, and slavery is just one among many other examples of major leaps we’ve undertaken. If we have made these leaps in the past, we can do it in the future. Also, keep in mind that the Earthlings that will reach the stars will not be us. They will be almost identical to us, but not us. They will be a people with more of our strengths and fewer of our weaknesses, be they humans or transhumans, they will have settled the ethical, political, and economic issues that currently hold us back. It wasn't that long ago that we stopped swinging from the trees - we are a very young species and it takes a long time to master a successful global society of egalitarianism and cooperation.
While I think it is unlikely, it is of course possible that humanity's technology will always outrace its social maturity to the point where we wreak havoc on the interstellar community, as can be seen in the movie “Avatar” by James Cameron. But like Carl Sagan, I believe that any species advanced enough to travel the galaxy and to have created universal prosperity internally, will naturally be ethically mature when it comes to any external relations with the environment and other beings. This is highly debatable however.
Wouldn't mining a planet's core have unforeseen detrimental effects? What about extracting metals from the different layers of Earth, wouldn't that be bad for the planet's health?
Not if done properly, which Type Is and above are bound to know how to do. Mining the core does not suggest actually manipulating the structure of the core itself, rather finding ways to capture the geothermal energy that the core radiates everyday; and this cannot harm the planet if done right. Nobody's talking about actually messing with the core's structure. Type Is would be able to utilize technologically sophisticated ways to capture and harness all the incredible energy emitted by the activity of the core and use it to drive its society. The core is releasing so much energy naturally every second, but Type 0s have to watch it go to waste. Type Is could finally tap this energy and harness its potential, and doing so does not suggest physical manipulation of the planet’s mechanics in detrimental ways. Capturing does not always imply manipulating the source, as in the case of capturing solar energy.
Also, the different layers of our planet have enough metallic resources to supply billions of people for untold thousands of years. Earth is big and thick. A Type I using its abilities to mine these metals isn't going to harm the planet at all if done responsibly; which a Type I will know how to do.
But just for argument’s sake, in case harnessing this geothermal energy (or extracting too much metal) actually would have detrimental effects on the planet, we would still have other bodies in our solar system that we could utilize if the need for geothermal energy sources and raw materials were great enough. Type Is could reignite the cores in these other bodies, supplying the Type I with all the geothermal energy it would need. Reigniting dead cores would also create a rich magnetic field around these bodies and perhaps reinstate their geological activity, which would be useful (probably essential) in the terraforming process as well.
When trying to tap geothermal energy, wouldn't a Type I civilization have to use more energy than it could gain in return? Would it be more efficient to harness solar energy rather than geothermal?
It's hard to say. Given our current Type 0 technology, yes, it would be a futile exercise. It would be a waste of time and energy as the resulting energy gain would not be enough to compensate the energy lost trying to extract it. But a Type I civilization will almost certainly actualize the technological capabilities necessary to achieve this.
While harnessing solar energy would be more easily accessed, there is no reason to believe that a Type I would not be able to efficiently harness geothermal energy given their potential for sophisticated technological capabilities. Both solar and geothermal would provide a Type I with incredible amounts of energy, so doing both would probably be ideal. I don’t see Type Is passing up the opportunity to harness the geothermal energy that is responsible for blowing mountains up in the form of volcanic explosions. In the case of harnessing solar energy by actually mining the sun or by using Dyson technologies to capture the sun’s total energy output (as Type IIs would have to do), using geothermal energy would probably be rendered obsolete (or at least not nearly as necessary).
How could a Type I civilization feed all the people it contains?
By the responsible use of land (on one or more bodies in the solar system), by implementing new waste prevention policies, and by utilizing nanofabrication technology to replicate/fabricate human resources such as food and water.
Doesn't nanofabrication violate the conservation of energy?
No. Nanofabrication does not create or destroy matter. Using nanobots (tiny atomic sized machines), matter is reassembled from existing matter. Electrons, protons, and neutrons are the three basic building blocks of all the baryonic elements in the universe. Rearranging (adding, removing, etc) these particles to create new atoms and new atomic structures (like molecules) from existing ones, would allow a Type I to create anything from anything else. Want to turn the air you breathe into a pizza? No problem. A series of trillions of self-replicating nanobots would pluck particles from the air molecules (and other abundant sources) and rearrange them to create the molecules necessary to form bread, sauce, and cheese.
All this stuff sounds more like science fiction than science fact.
All of the technologies listed in this article, while speculative; do not violate any known laws of physics. The challenges to creating these technologies and achieving these feats are mostly engineering problems. Also keep in mind that most of our current technology would have been viewed as science fiction in the past.
Hypothetically, if nanofabrication is unfeasible, how would Type Is obtain valuable and rare elements needed to maintain their society?
Anything we'd need can be found elsewhere in our solar system. Our solar system is a treasure trove of elements needed to drive a Type I society. The elements needed to sustain life and power our machines are all extremely common in the universe.
Wouldn’t sentient AI be upset over the use of slave labor bots?
No, because as discussed in the note on post-scarcity, construction of AI would be possible with varying degrees of intelligence and sentience. AI without the ability to reason and without self-awareness could be constructed to do the hard manual labor. Imagine our modern day factory equipment, but just infinitely better at its job. Sentient AI would not see this as slavery anymore than sentient organics would see a flu-shot as the enslavement of the flu virus. Sentient AI will rely on these non-sentient labor bots as much as we organics would. Any synthetic technology created with enough sophistication to be sentient will be granted the same rights that sentient organics possess.
Is it possible to achieve moneyless economics before post-scarcity?
In theory, yes, but this is hotly debated. While post-scarcity economics would ensure the abolition of wages, many Marxists, anarchists, and others believe such things can happen even right now in our pre-post-scarcity Type 0 society. There are many ideas about how to achieve this and what such an economy would look like. For more information see: here, here, here, here, and here.
A basic description is this: As long as you work to supply your community with its needs and wants you as an individual are entitled to the community’s supplies for free. The community would have hundreds of stores that cater to different wants and needs of everyone who works and you would have free access to all these goods and services as long as you don’t go overboard and start infringing on the wants and needs of others. John would work hard to cut down trees and have a lumber syndicate, and he would be okay with giving his lumber freely to a factory that needs it because the act of doing so entitles him to have free access to whatever he wants. That makes money as a trade medium obsolete in pre-post-scarcity. You don’t need to compensate people’s labor when the acting of laboring itself gives them access to everything. Those who don’t work would have no access to luxury. If Bob is lazy and doesn’t want to work, he’d be unable to get that new video game he wants. He’d go into the video game store and the retailer would have to refuse him service since his name isn’t on the labor books. Free consumption for all who work to supply the demand.
Concluding Thoughts:
A factor of 10 billion separates the different types when it comes to energy consumption. Assuming a steady (and generous) 3% per year growth rate, we humans should attain Type I status in about 100 years; Type II status in about 800-1000 years; Type III status within 10,000 years (these timescales ignore the potential for revolutionary future advancements in technology and science that are currently beyond our ability to predict, things that could drastically speed up the process. The computer revolution for our own civilization is an example of this).
Each type of civilization below graduates to the next level when it has exhausted its energy sources and is forced (and able) to find new ones that satisfies its needs. Below, the categories assume that faster-than-light travel will one day be possible, but even if FTL is ultimately forever impossible, the growth of interstellar civilization as detailed below can still apply, albeit at a much slower rate. Research “Alcubierre Drive” and “worm holes” for promising potential technologies that could allow for FTL using loopholes in Einstein’s theory of relativity. Also, for further information on the Kardashev Scale, theoretical physics, science fiction technologies, and futurology, the following will be of interest to the scientifically minded:
• Books by Michio Kaku:
o Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension
o Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century
o Parallel Worlds: A Journey through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos
o Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel
o Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and our Daily Lives by the Year 2100
• “The Physics of Star Trek”: book by Lawrence M. Krauss
• “The Science of Star wars”: book by Jeanne Cavelos
• Books by Ray Kurzweil
• Tvtropes.org - related searches
• Wikipedia.org - related searches
• Mkaku.org
• Newton.dep.anl.gov - related searches
As you read the stuff below, keep in mind that we humans may one day achieve these things. It’s also fun to think about the possibility that some extraterrestrial species may have already achieved the statuses outlined below. The biggest hurdle for humanity is making it to Type I status. There is no guarantee we’ll get there, but if we don’t destroy ourselves and actually make it to Type I, the future becomes highly optimistic for us. This article is primarily for science fiction buffs and those interested in futurology. Don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom. Enjoy!
Composite image of the Andromeda Galaxy
Type 0 Civilizations (Sub-planetary – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the sub-planetary level):
An aerial view of Manhattan, a late-stage Type 0 city
Type 0s begin exploring their solar system
A Type 0 civilization is one that is just beginning to tap planetary resources but does not have the technology and resources needed to control them. This category includes everything from the Neolithic Revolution to the modern day. A Type 0 civilization like ours derives its energy from dead plants: fossil fuels like oil and coal. It burns wood and requires (especially in the Third World) large amounts of raw human labor. It matures to the point where it utilizes the power of steam, electricity, and chemical combustion indicative of an industrial revolution. Type 0 civilizations go through several stages of growth: agricultural, industrial, informational, biomolecular, chemical, quantum, atomic, artificial intelligence, etc, and these are all inevitable byproducts of a Type 0 civilization growing into a Type I. Type 0s span from primitive hunting and gathering communities to the semi-unified globalizing industrial world of international interaction like ours, where borderless communication, transportation, commerce, and culture is widespread. Space programs are formed but only rudimentary exploration of the solar system is undertaken. Economic/political unions are usually formed in a Type 0’s later years and international peace becomes important but hard to achieve due to political interests, economics, poor education, extremism, nationalism, poverty, and large scale competition.
Type 0 civilizations cannot control the weather; they even have difficulties predicting it. The largest energy source available to a Type 0 civilization is the hydrogen bomb. Type 0s gain large amounts of scientific knowledge but do not have the capabilities to control most of the applications. Fusion is discovered but uncontrollable. Instead of fusion power generators, Type 0s can only harness fusion energy in uncontrolled explosions, but fission power is utilized (albeit irresponsibly). When a Type 0 civilization enters its nuclear age, its level of technology begins to outrace its social and political maturity. Conflicts among different countries and regions are rampant, proliferation of dangerous weapons is commonplace, and the underdeveloped use of technology in general poses a serious threat to a Type 0’s future. The combination of artificial and natural disasters makes Type 0 civilizations extremely prone to extinction; Type 0s have self-destructive tendencies and are unable to defend themselves from cosmic danger. Racism, fundamentalism, sectarianism, nationalism, etc are commonplace and are powerful forces that hold Type 0 societies back.
On this scale, modern Earth in the year 2014 is at 0.78 (according to Carl Sagan and others). It is on the verge of attaining Type I status in about a century if the issues that hold us back can be rectified. In science fiction, the genre of Cyberpunk, the civilization in “E.Y.E.S. of Mars,” and the world of the Power Rangers would all probably qualify as Type 0 civilizations. Our 0.7 civilization has a “power level” of about 10^13 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Type I Civilizations (Planetary – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the planetary level):
A scene from “Gears of War”; a Type I civilization
An artist’s depiction of a Mars colony
A Type I civilization is one that controls the energy resources of an entire planet or multiple planets. This civilization utilizes all of the sunlight that hits their planet and can control the weather, prevent earthquakes, mine deep into their planet’s crust, and harvest the oceans. This type of civilization has already completed the exploration of its solar system, and has also colonized and utilized most of its resources (mining asteroids and comets, set up colonies on moons and planets, etc). As mentioned above, Type Is have mastered ALL forms of terrestrial energy allowing them to create and modify weather conditions, mine the oceans, extract energy from the atmosphere, mine their planet’s core, and extract resources from other bodies in their solar system. Large scale fusion power is used as well as hydroelectric, solar satellites, and other forms of clean renewable energies which dominate. Antimatter energy starts to become usable but remains in its infancy. Cities can be built on the oceans and other bodies in the solar system; ushering in an era of civilization where populations live freely over the entire surface of their planet and neighboring planets and satellites, as well as on sophisticated orbiting space stations. A Type I civilization’s energy requirements are so large that they must (and are capable) of harnessing the total resources of one or more planets in order to function and grow.
Type I civilizations have a remarkable degree of social cooperation on a planetary scale. Social organization must be very complex and advanced in order for a Type I society to function. Type Is require a cohesive social unit that encompasses the entire planet’s population; planetary civilizations are unable to function on a smaller scale. Type I civilizations have sophisticated global communication systems, advanced transportation abilities, and a world culture that unifies the species. Type I civilizations have very little factional, religious, sectarian, and nationalistic struggles that typify their origins. Worldwide political stability is achieved along with the abolition of poverty. Economic equality is achieved through the rise of a universal middle class made possible by a planetary economy (that arises through some kind of socialism or a humanizing of capitalism; a day when intellectual capital surpasses commodity capital). This is feasible due to an abundance of material wealth, energy, and resources achieved by technological advancement. Racial differences begin to fade away and evolution slows due to the population mechanics of a mixing species. Countries may still exist, but they will not be important divisions. A universal language emerges that abolishes the world’s language barriers, but cultural and linguistic diversity can still exist. Life expectancy grows tremendously thanks to leaps in medicine and genetic engineering, and wars are all but a thing of the past. Minor internal conflicts may break out, but they never get too far out of hand. If wars do occur, they are primarily carried out by robots. Artificial Intelligence reaches the singularity and advanced robotic beings (definitely sentient and perhaps emotional) become an integral part of the society. Transhumanism also becomes a real possibility. Nanotechnology allows for matter fabrication and manipulation, AI allows for cheap labor, and fusion energy and the abundance of raw materials obtained by utilizing an entire solar system means cheap energy and little to no scarcity.
Information is practically free and accessible to everyone. The planet’s populations become effectively 100% urban. The use of space elevators makes orbital space travel extremely cheap and the cost of interplanetary space travel is drastically low compared to the costs of a Type 0 civilization. Space travel is carried out using ion, plasma, ramjet fusion, and laser/solar sail engine designs and an interplanetary highway system is constructed, eventually allowing quick interplanetary transportation for everyone. Type I civilizations will spend centuries terraforming and colonizing planets and moons in their solar system. Type Is will also begin an interstellar age but large extraterrestrial colonies on other star systems will be immensely difficult to maintain and travel to other stars will be very costly and take long periods of time. Experimental probes will be sent to explore nearby star systems. Type Is are also prone to extinction by means of natural disaster on extraplanetary scales - supernovae for example.
In science fiction, the civilization of “Buck Rogers,” the world of “Flash Gordon,” the humans in “Gears of War,” the human civilization in Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Saga,” the humans of E.E. Smith’s “Triplanetary,” the world of “Cowboy Bebop,” the civilizations in “Farscape,” the civilization in “Firefly,” the humans in John Kilgannon’s “A Miracle of Science,”, the 12 colonies of Kobol (prior to the Cylon bombardment) in “Battlestar Galactica,” the sub-Vorlon/Shadow civilizations of “Babylon 5,” the humans in “Freelancer,” the early years of the “Star Trek” mythos, the Delphons of Andrey Livandy’s “The History of the Galaxy,” the Krell of “Forbidden Planet,” the Tau, Orks, and non-imperium humans in “Warhammer 40,000,” would all probably qualify as Type I civilizations (varying wildly along the spectrum). A Type I civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^17 – 10^24 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Type II Civilizations (Stellar – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the stellar level):
The NCC 1701-D, USS Enterprise from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
The SSV Normandy SR-1 from “Mass Effect”
A Type II civilization is one that controls the power of stars. This does not mean passively harnessing solar energy; this civilization mines their sun and eventually nearby stars. The energy needs of this civilization are so large that it directly consumes the power of the stars to drive its machines. Their energy requirements are so great that they have exhausted planetary sources; they use Dyson Spheres or similar concepts to take advantage of a star’s total energy output. This kind of civilization will begin to colonize local star systems and take advantage of the raw materials, energy, and resources of planets, moons, and suns of multiple stellar systems. Type IIs are also able to actively manipulate stars and solar systems; being able to ignite stars or induce stellar death. They can potentially harness energy from supernovae, black holes, and gamma ray bursters. They have the ability to move planets and other large astronomical bodies, making them architects and choreographers of nature at the stellar level. Type II civilizations have nearly mastered the gravitational force, allowing them to utilize wormholes and warped space-time (if eventually possible to do so) for their travel needs. This kind of civilization is fully capable of exploring their galactic neighborhood, allowed only by using the vast amounts of the energy and resources of entire solar systems to function and grow.
Type IIs can probably utilize and colonize anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand star systems, making Type II civilizations completely immune to most forms of extinction. Type IIs are immune to most artificial and all natural disasters; even supernovae can be manipulated or the civilization is at least able to move their species away from the danger. There is virtually no internal conflict or factional divides among the species. Matter-antimatter engines and energy is commonplace and replaces fusion as the most effective energy source. Warp drives, if possible, are feasible, but still somewhat exotic and belongs in the hands of organizations rather than the average person. Type II civilizations are able to scramble their broadcasting signals in ways so that packets of information arrive in several different frequencies which are able to be unscrambled by a receiver. This would be necessary if a Type II civilization wanted to hide its emissions from lesser civilizations. Nanotechnology is utilized to send millions of replicating Von Neumann nano-probes around the galaxy and artificial intelligence becomes as common as organic life; robots and other forms of synthetic life are completely integrated into all aspects of society in a Type II civilization. Life expectancy could reach immortality.
Type II civilizations can eventually colonize and manipulate entire star clusters. A Type II’s range of control goes from the mastery of its own solar system and perhaps a neighboring one, to the mastery of entire galactic sectors, ushering in the era of a small galactic civilization. In science fiction, the groups in Dan Simmons’ “Hyperion Cantos,” the Dom Ka’vosh from “Freelancer,” the Vorlons of “Babylon 5,” the Imperium of Man from “Warhammer 40,000,” the unseen aliens in Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” series, the maximum tech levels of the “Space Empires” games, the Protoss in “Starcarft,” the United Federation of Planets, Klingon Empire, the Romulans, etc in the “Star Trek” universe, the civilizations in Larry Niven’s “Ringworld,” the UNSC and Covenant in the “Halo” universe, the Humans, Turians, Asari, Salarians, and others in “Mass Effect,” would all probably qualify as Type II civilizations (varying wilding along the spectrum). A Type II civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^26 – 10^36 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
IMPORTANT NOTE: POST-SCARCITY ECONOMICS: From this point on (Type II) in the Kardashev Scale, it should be assumed that society has achieved post-scarcity. In a post-scarcity society, the economy is no longer dependent on money as a medium of trade (in theory, moneyless societies are also possible before post-scarcity, but post-scarcity ensures it without a doubt as it makes wages impossible). In societies as advanced as these, it is most reasonable to assume that sophisticated automation (artificial intelligence, virtual intelligence, non-sentient labor bots), nanofabrication (matter manipulation at the atomic level), and the acquisition of abundant free energy (stellar lifting and dyson capturing) would effectively reduce the prices of manufacturing and distributing goods, as well as the providing of services, to $0. In this kind of superabundance economy, money loses its value. If you want something, you get it. If you need something, you are provided with it. There would be no need for compensation as everything is free to make, use, and own thanks to the technology of this level. Post-scarcity economics means that technological advances ensure that all constituents of the society have their needs for material goods and services met. All essential work is performed (as far as possible) by sophisticated non-sentient devices that do not require incentives to work (who are powered by abundant free energy and use resources made via nanofabrication), freeing sentients (synthetic and organic) to do only things that they enjoy (administrative work requiring sentience would be undertaken by AIs using a bare fraction of their mental power, or by people who take on the work out of free choice), ushering in an era of technological utopianism. As a consequence, societies at Type II or beyond would have no need of economic constructs such as money (which is reduced to being valueless. When energy is free to harness, when the resources that are used to manufacture are produced effortlessly and for free, and when labor bots do all the non-creative hard labor for free, compensation becomes meaningless. Even sentients that want to voluntarily undertake the providing of services or undertake doing hard labor can't be paid in an economy that will give them whatever they want in return for free anyway.). While in principle post-scarcity moneylessness is also possible with Type I societies, it would most likely arise once a society has mastered stellar energy.
Type III Civilizations (Galactic – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials at the galactic level):
Battle over Coruscant, from “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”
A Reaper from “Mass Effect 3”
A Type III civilization is one that controls the power of an entire galaxy. Type IIIs are capable of harnessing the power of billions of star systems. Type III civilizations have mastered space-time and can manipulate it at will. Faster-than-light travel and communication has become commonplace even for average people, allowing for quick taxi rides between different sectors of a galaxy. They can harness the power of black holes, supernovae, quasars, gamma ray bursters, etc with ease, Type IIIs can even harness the energy found at the galactic core; effectively giving them unlimited energy for their needs. Type IIIs can harness the Planck energy, allowing them to explore (if possible) hyperspace and other universes. Type III civilizations start out by controlling multiple star clusters and sectors of a galaxy until they manage to spread out through and have the ability to utilize the entire galaxy itself. Nanotechnology via Von Neumann probes has allowed for trillions of replicating nanobots, robots, cyborgs, etc to spread throughout the galaxy to undertake unmanned colonization and manipulation of any and every corner of the galaxy. The galaxy is full of artificial intelligence and/or Cyborg life forms. Life expectancy reaches immortality, where organic and synthetic life is of equal status and interconnected. Galaxy wide faster-than-light communication and transportation is possible via wormholes or other exotic phenomena and is commonplace. Type IIIs have so much energy at their disposal that they can perhaps create bubble universes and explore other dimensions and the multiverse (if they exist). Type IIIs are impervious to all forms of extinction because this kind of civilization inhabits most corners of one or more galaxies. Type III civilizations function under a sophisticated multispecies political network consisting of millions to billions of worlds connected by industry and culture.
Type III civilizations would effectively be using advanced Type II techniques, but applied to all possible stars of one or perhaps more individual galaxies. In science fiction, the Galactic Republic/Empire in “Star Wars,” the Galactic Empire in Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series, the humans in the “Xenosaga” series, the Galactic Union of E.E. Smith’s “Lensman” series, the Galactic Community of Worlds in Olaf Stapledon’s “Star Maker,” the aliens in Carl Sagan’s “Contact,” the humans in Stephen Baxter’s “Manifold: Time,” H.P. Lovecraft’s “Mi-go,” the civilizations in “Orion’s Arm,” the Forerunners in “Halo,” the Reapers and the Leviathans in “Mass Effect,” the Ancient Humanoids from “Star Trek,” the Asgard in "Stargate," would all probably qualify as Type III civilizations (varying wildly along the spectrum). The Borg from “Star Trek” are on the verge of attaining Type III status (at least technologically). A Type III civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^37 – 10^40 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Type IV Civilizations (Extragalactic to Godlike – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials from multiple galaxies to the entire universe and beyond):
An armada of Xeelee Nightfighters from the “Xeelee Sequence”
Assimilator Claws from the “Xeelee Sequence”
A Type IV civilization is a hyperadvanced civilization that has went beyond its home galaxy and mastered multiple galaxies. It can eventually become the master of galaxy clusters and superclusters; effectively reaching the point where it controls the entire visible universe or beyond. In this kind of civilization, life ceases to be a trace contaminant of the universe and becomes an integral part of its mechanics. Type IV civilizations become chorographers of energy, matter, space, and time on scales far beyond anything the previous types can muster. Type IVs can manipulate planets, moons, stars, star clusters, galaxies, galaxy clusters, galaxy superclusters, and eventually advances to the point where it is able to control the energy output of the entire universe in general with relative ease. Type IV civilizations can harness dark energy and the energy of the vacuum, perhaps allowing them to utilize and manipulate regions beyond the universe. Life expectancy is immortal; they can even escape the heat death of the universe, or perhaps manipulate the universe’s fate.
A Type IV civilization starts out by mastering their own local supercluster of galaxies, then ultimately reaches the point where they can extract from all possible galaxies and even beyond; their impact and influence bleeds over into the multiverse. In science fiction, the Ancients of the “X-Universe” series, the Timelords and Daleks from “Doctor Who,” the “Overarch Bedeckants,” the Judeo-Christian God, the Non-ascended Ancients from “Stargate,” the Great Beings from “Bionicle,” the Xeelee civilization of Stephen Baxter’s “Xeelee Sequence,” the Downstreamers from Stephen Baxter’s “Manifold” series, the Combine from the "Half-Life" series, the Outsiders of “X-Universe,” the First Guardians from “Homestuck,” the aliens at the end of the first “Men in Black” movie, DC’s “Guardians of the Universe,” would all probably qualify as Type IV civilizations. A Type IV civilization would have a “power level” of about 10^42 - 10^ 51 watts.
NOTE: It is quite difficult when trying to correctly classify science fiction civilizations on the Kardashev scale. Often, a fictional civilization in science fiction (especially space opera) will have the technology we currently assume belongs to a certain Kardashev category, but energy consumption-wise will qualify for a category or two lower/higher. Some of the science fiction examples used throughout this article will meet both the technology and watt consumption criteria for one category (which is ideal), but some will be placed in a certain category based solely on their technology level regardless of their watt consumption as portrayed by their respective media.
Time Lord Marnal – Doctor Who said:
Type V Civilizations (Godlike – Extracts information, energy, and raw materials from…everything):
Q, a member of the Q Continuum from the Star Trek franchise
An Ascended Ancient from the Stargate franshise
Infinity
A Type V civilization has transcended its universe of origin and inhabits and manipulates the multiverse or other higher-order membranes of existence. Type Vs are capable of multiverse-scale manipulation of individual discrete universes from an external frame of reference. Type V civilizations have mastered all of existence and can bend it to their will.
In science fiction, the Q Continuum from the “Star Trek” franchise, the Ascended Ancients from "Stargate", the Infinite Consortium from “Magic: The Gathering,” the Markovians from Jack Chalker’s “Well Worlds,” and perhaps the Downstreamers from Stephen Baxter’s “Manifold: Time” would probably qualify as Type V civilizations.
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