The Kardashev Scale, first proposed by Russian astronomer Nikolai Kardashev, measures the technological advancement of civilizations by the amount of energy they can harness and use. In its original form, the scale described three stages, but scientists and futurists have since expanded it to include Types 4 through 7.
Humanity today sits at roughly Type 0.72, meaning we have not yet reached even the first official stage. We still rely heavily on fossil fuels and have limited control over natural disasters, though advances in renewable energy and global technology are pushing us forward. Experts estimate it may take another century or two to become a full Type 1 civilization. From there, the journey becomes increasingly ambitious and mind-bending.
Type 1 Civilization – Mastery of Planetary Energy
A Type 1 civilization has complete control over all the available energy on its home planet. For Earth, this would mean capturing the full potential of sunlight, wind, geothermal, and other renewable sources, eliminating reliance on fossil fuels entirely.
Technological advancements like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced medical science would flourish, creating a healthier, longer-living population. Natural disasters like hurricanes or tsunamis could be mitigated or prevented entirely using massive energy manipulation.
Interplanetary travel would be routine, with human colonies on the Moon and Mars. A unified global society would emerge with a single currency, common language, and shared scientific goals. Achieving this stage could make humanity virtually immune to extinction from Earth-based catastrophes.
Type 2 Civilization – Harnessing the Power of the Sun
A Type 2 civilization can capture and use the total energy output of its star. Humanity might accomplish this by building a Dyson Sphere or Dyson Swarm, mega engineering structures designed to collect and transmit solar energy on a massive scale.
This would allow the terraforming and colonization of other planets and moons in our Solar System, making places like Venus, Europa, and Titan habitable. Weather control on a planetary scale would be possible, and genetic engineering would enable humans to adapt to a variety of alien environments.
Mining asteroids and gas giants for resources would become commonplace, eliminating scarcity. While invulnerable to most planetary disasters, a Type 2 civilization could still be threatened by cosmic-scale events like supernovae. To ensure survival, humanity would need to expand beyond a single star system.
Type 3 Civilization – Mastery of the Galaxy
Reaching Type 3 means harnessing the energy of all the stars in a galaxy. This would require near-light-speed travel or the use of self-replicating probes to explore and colonize distant star systems. Dyson Swarms would be deployed around billions of stars, creating an almost limitless supply of energy.
Humans would become cybernetic beings, merging artificial intelligence with biological systems, achieving functional immortality through genetic repair and advanced regeneration. Civilizations at this stage could alter the paths of supernovae or other cosmic hazards to protect their colonies. Life would spread across the Milky Way, and natural or cosmic disasters would no longer pose an existential threat. The galaxy itself would become humanity’s backyard.
Type 4 Civilization – Commanding the Universe
A Type 4 civilization wields control over the energy and resources of all galaxies in the observable universe. Humanity would have mapped and studied every star system, galaxy cluster, and cosmic structure, understanding the universe at a fundamental level.
Encounters with other civilizations would be inevitable, ranging from primitive societies to other advanced species. Ethical questions about whether to intervene in or assist these civilizations would emerge, leading to the creation of universal governance principles. The technology at this stage would be so advanced it would seem god-like to earlier civilizations.
While immensely powerful, Type 4 civilizations would still face one ultimate challenge, the eventual death of their universe. To avoid extinction, the next step would be to escape into other universes.
Type 5 Civilization – The Multiverse Masters
A Type 5 civilization has discovered how to traverse and harness energy across multiple universes, entering what scientists call the multiverse. This would involve technology far beyond current human understanding, enabling travel between entirely separate realities.
Energy collection would span countless galaxies in countless universes, creating an effectively infinite supply. Civilizations could experiment with different universal laws of physics, adapting to or even manipulating them. The leap from Type 4 to Type 5 would mark the point where humanity becomes completely untethered from the fate of any single universe. This stage would redefine existence, as reality itself becomes a canvas for exploration and creation.
Type 6 Civilization – Command of the Omniverse
At Type 6, humanity would understand and control the entire set of universes collectively known as the Omniverse. This includes perceiving and manipulating multiple timelines simultaneously. Humans would be post-biological, existing as cybernetic or energy-based entities capable of infinite lifespans.
The creation of new universes would become a reality, though regulated to prevent instability. Governance would be handled by advanced human, AI hybrids ensuring maximum well-being across infinite realities. With all material needs met by robotic systems, civilization would focus on philosophical questions about purpose, creativity, and happiness. At this stage, even the birth and death of universes would be under human control.
Type 7 Civilization – Infinite Creation and Control
The final stage, Type 7, represents complete mastery over infinite universes, timelines, and dimensions. Civilizations at this level could create, alter, or destroy universes at will, shaping reality in any way imaginable. Time, space, matter, and energy would be as malleable as clay in the hands of these beings.
Humanity might split into groups, those who seek pleasure, those who pursue ever greater power, and those who transcend physical and emotional existence entirely, living as pure consciousness. In this enlightened state, all beings would exist as one with the Omniverse itself. At this point, there would be no distinction between civilization and creation, it would simply be existence in its ultimate form.
