Theory Proposes 7 Types of Possible Civilizations

The first thing is to present the famous Kardashov scale, which delimits the technological level of each possible c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ into different types.
The Kardashov Scale was thought of as a way of classifying c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s̳ (both terrestrial and possible e̳x̳t̳r̳a̳t̳e̳r̳r̳e̳s̳t̳r̳i̳a̳l̳ c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s̳ that may exist in the cosmos), based on their level of technological advance.

The year was 1964, and the Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashov (who at that time was interested in finding signs of intelligent life in space), devised a scale to measure the technological advance of a c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳. This scale is based on the amount of energy that a c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ is capable of using.

NASA shows a gigantic U̳F̳O̳ rising from the Sun
His scale had only three types of c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s̳, but recently other astronomers have added four more (these last ones, I must say, are difficult to imagine).

Let\’s see them:

A type 0 c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ only takes advantage of the energy and raw materials that it extracts from organic matter and natural resources such as wood, coal or oil.

Human c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ would currently have a value of 0.72 on that scale, with calculations suggesting that we could reach Type I status in about 100 to 200 years.

The Type I Ci̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳
It has the ability to harness the full energy of your planet: be it wind power, sea power, sunlight or any other type of energy that can be extracted from the Planet.

But not only that, he would also have total control over the weather, volcanic eruptions or earthquakes (and even the ability to influence the world\’s flora and fauna as well as geological formations).

Theory: Giant U̳F̳O̳s would use the Sun as a dimensional portal
Incredible as it may seem, these feats are very primitive compared to the abilities achieved by the following types of c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳. Are you ready?

Orion War: The Origin of Humanity
Now Type II Ci̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s
They possess the ability to harness the full energy of their parent star; not only transform starlight into energy, but a technological level that allows the realization of gigantic and perfectly efficient constructions. An example of this would be the famous Dyson Spheres proposed in 1960 by the physicist Freeman Dyson (and which were also adapted ten years later, in the novel Ringworld written by Larry Niven).

To get an idea of what we are talking about, the technology that Niven conceived for said universe, describes for example a world where teleportation is instantaneous and the hulls of spaceships are indestructible.

Although the Dyson spheres are well-known constructions for lovers of the genre, they have hardly been transferred to the screen. An exception to that rule could be an episode of the Star Trek series where they discover one.

Additionally, a Type II c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ would also have control over the orbits of the other planets in their star system, asteroids, and comets. In conclusion, he would have a stranglehold on his solar system.

A type III c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳
It would already be a galactic c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳; that is, with the ability to harness the total energy of a galaxy.

It would spread far and wide across the galaxy, eventually colonizing it and controlling its star systems. It would have the ability to take advantage of, store and use the energy ejected by all the stars belonging to that galaxy.

It would use the planets as if they were building blocks, with the ability to move them from one solar system to another, merge solar systems, merge stars, absorb supernovae, and even have the power to create stars. Bestial.

But… how could such a c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ travel the enormous distances between the stars in order to colonize the entire galaxy?

Well, they would have developed robotic colonies capable of self-replication, which would spread throughout the galaxy through a colonization program.

In the 1940s, John von Neumann spoke of the Universal Builders; some automated mills capable of manufacturing anything. These would go to prepare planets to be colonized and, in turn, would build more universal builders, which in turn would go to the next stars, and so on, in a process of exponential growth.

So far, the three types of c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s̳ proposed by Kardashov (the ones that everyone knows).

He believed that talk of a Type IV c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ was “too advanced,” so the scale originally only counts c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ levels I, II, and III.

From now on, we enter a field in which it is truly difficult to even imagine what we are talking about…

A type IV c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳
It would be able to harness the energy of the entire universe

Their “beings” could travel to any corner of the cosmos, thus harnessing the energy of each galaxy.

It would be such an advanced c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ that it could even manipulate space-time, turning it into an indestructible and utopian c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳. There is a recent branch of physics that studies the survival of intelligent life in the universe, and it is believed that in order to survive, intelligent life could end up taking control of universal laws, interfering with the evolution of the universe at its convenience.

Type V Ci̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳
This would be able to harness the energy of multiple universes.

This incredible concept is a product of the growing popularity of string theory. The type V c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ would not be limited by its universe, and its inhabitants (who have no idea how it could be), would be able to encompass countless parallel universes and manipulate the very structure of reality.

The Type Vl Ci̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳
It is even more abstract and incomprehensible than the previous one. This c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ exists outside of time and space; he has the ability to create universes and multiverses easily and destroy them just as quickly. As you can see, it is very similar to the concept we have of a deity.

These beings would have reached an almost divine level: omnipotent and omnipresent, and it is difficult to imagine how these individuals could exist, and what their stories would be like…

Well. Without a doubt, human beings are taking the first steps in all this, and we are still a long way from reaching c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s̳ more advanced than ours (but nothing says that it is not possible). There are even people who believe that once a certain evolutionary threshold has been overcome, human intelligence is a firm candidate to experience gradually, progressively, all these extraordinary existences that I have mentioned.