A scheme for classifying such advanced technological civilizations was proposed by Nikolai Kardashev in 1964. He identified three high-level types and defined a logarithmic scale in terms of the power they could muster for the purpose of interstellar communications.
Type I: Controls the energy of an entire planet. This civilization can control the weather, can prevent earthquakes, and boasts mastery of an energy factor of about 10^16 watts. Though advanced, a Type I civilization still faces danger of extinction by natural disasters such as comet impacts.
Type II: Controls the energy of an entire star. It has the ability to directly mine a star. This civilization will have explored completely its own star system and will have established a number of colonies in neighboring star systems. The energy factor mastered by a Type II civilization is about 10^26 watts, or a 10 billion-fold increase over that controlled by Type I. A Type II civilization is virtually immune to extinction.
Type III: Controls the energy of an entire galaxy. Such a civilization can manipulate space-time and possesses almost godlike powers. It would be threatened with extinction only by the death of the universe itself (and even this might be avoided). Energy mastery for a Type III civilization marks another 10 billion-fold increase, to a level of 10^36 watts.
Carl Sagan pointed out that the energy gaps between Kardashev's three types were so enormous that a finer gradation was needed. A Type 1.1 civilization, for example, would be able to expand a maximum of 10^17 watts on communications, a Type 2.3 could utilize 10^29 watts, and so on. He estimated that the human race would presently qualify as roughly a Type 0.7.
Will We Become a Type 1 Civilization?
I think this is THE question of our age. A Type 1 civilization presupposes many things. Right now, we can barely predict the weather more than 4 or 5 days in advance, much less keep it stable. We have barely left the confines of our home planet, with human forays only to the moon and immediate Earth orbit. We spend incredible amounts of energy and resources bickering over inconsequential political boundaries and ideological differences. Environmental problems such as global warming and dimming are beginning to wreck havoc with our climate and infrastructure. Global resource depletion is another cause for concern, with tropical rainforests being cut down at record rates. Bucky Fuller said as far back as 1965, that we had all the necessary technical knowledge then to create a globally sustainable civilization for everyone on the planet to live like billionaires. So why haven't we? I think the problem is psychological, not technical… a lack of sufficient emotional, rational, social-somatic, and natural intelligence.
As we rapidly enter this ever decreasing bottleneck, we should soon find out if we're going to make it to Type 1. Utopia or Oblivion, there is no third way. If we can figure out how to survive the coming technological singularity, then all the problems that have plagued our planet up to this point will have been solved. Idealistic dogma, hatred, greed, poverty, war, selfishness will have all been solved, otherwise how would we make it? Once we passed this level 1 bottleneck, then it will be relatively smooth sailing from there… onward to Type 2 and 3, or at least thatʼs the assumption.
