How the Kardashev Scale Will Determine Our Future
Explore the different types of advanced civilizations and our place among them.
One of the most fascinating theories regarding space is that of the Kardashev scale. Meant to describe what alien civilizations would look like, it labels our own in comparison to what may be in the cosmos.
What is the Kardashev Scale?
Proposed originally by Russian astrophysicist, Nikolai Kardashev, this scale measures potential civilizations by energy output in 3 stages.
He believed that a civilization is measured on a cosmic level by its’ energy usage and the technology it uses. According to Kardashev, these two aspects ran parallel to one another.
As more energy is produced, higher levels of technology are needed to produce it. Therefore, a society that has a high energy output must have matching technology.
In other words, more energy output = more technologically advanced.
Here’s the sad part…humans aren’t even on this scale yet.
We still harvest most of our energy from dead animals, plants, and the Earth itself. Society as we know it is a Type 0 civilization. Ouch.
