Kardashev Scale

A Kardashev Scale is a method of measurement that quantifies a civilization's level of technological advancement based on its ability to utilize energy.

• Context:
  • It can have been Introduced by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964.
  • It can classify civilizations by their energy usage capabilities.
  • It can (typically) include Type I civilizations, which harness the energy available on their planet.
  • It can (often) include Type II civilizations, which are capable of utilizing the energy of a star, such as through a Dyson Sphere.
  • It can include Type III civilizations, which can control energy on a galactic scale.
  • It is considered hypothetical and serves as a framework for extraterrestrial intelligence research, including efforts by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
  • It has inspired various extensions and modifications, including the proposal of Types 0, IV, and V, and metrics beyond mere power consumption like computational growth or bioenergetics.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • A Kardashev Type I civilization might be able to prevent or control natural disasters on its planet, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
  • A Kardashev Type II civilization might construct a Dyson Sphere around its star to capture the star's energy for its use.
  • A Kardashev Type III civilization could harness the energy of every celestial body within its galaxy, including stars and black holes.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • A civilization that does not harness the majority of its planet's energy would not qualify as a Type I civilization.
  • A civilization utilizing only its planet's resources without significantly harnessing its star's energy would not be considered a Type II civilization.
  • A civilization that has not expanded its energy utilization to a galactic scale would not be classified as a Type III civilization.
• See: Quasar, Civilization, Technology, Energy, Astronomer, Nikolai Kardashev, Cosmos, Moore's Law, Bioenergetics.

---

---

References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale Retrieved:2024-3-25.
  • The Kardashev scale () is a method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is capable of using. The measure was proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev (1932–2019) in 1964 and was named after him.

    The scale is hypothetical, and refers to energy consumption on a cosmic scale. Various extensions of the scale have since been proposed, including a wider range of power levels (Types 0, IV, and V) and the use of metrics other than pure power (e.g., computational growth or food consumption).

    Kardashev first outlined his scale in a paper presented at the 1964 Byurakan conference in Armenia, a scientific meeting that reviewed the Soviet radio astronomy space listening program. The paper was titled "" ("Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations"). Starting from a functional definition of civilization, based on the immutability of physical laws and using human civilization as a model of extrapolation, Kardashev's initial model was developed. He proposed a classification of civilizations into three types, based on the axiom of exponential growth:

    • A Type I civilization is able to access all the energy available on its planet and store it for consumption. Hypothetically, it should also be able to control natural events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.
    • A Type II civilization can directly consume a star's energy, most likely through the use of a Dyson sphere.
    • A Type III civilization is able to capture all the energy emitted by its galaxy, and every object within it, such as every star, black hole, etc.
  • In a second article, entitled "Strategies of Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence", published in 1980, Kardashev wonders about the ability of a civilization, which he defines by its ability to access energy, to sustain itself, and to integrate information from its environment. Two more articles followed: "On the Inevitability and the Possible Structure of Super Civilizations" and "Cosmology and Civilizations", published in 1985 and 1997, respectively; the Soviet astronomer proposed ways to detect super civilizations and to direct the SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) programs.

    A number of scientists have conducted searches for possible civilizations, but with no conclusive results. However, in part thanks to such searches, unusual objects, now known to be either pulsars or quasars, were identified.

---