The Kardashev Scale

By Victor M Fontane

The Kardashev scale, proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964, is a method for classifying civilizations by their level of technological advancement, measured by the amount of energy they can harness. The original scale includes three types: Type I civilizations that control their planet's energy, Type II civilizations that harness their star's energy, and Type III civilizations that command the energy of their entire galaxy. While humanity currently falls far short of Type I status, the scale has been expanded by others to include hypothetical super-advanced Type IV and even higher-level civilizations, though these are largely speculative.  

If the Orch OR theory and similar models; which propose that consciousness arises from quantum interactions within microtubules in the nervous system; are correct, and if all living brains are connected to a universal quantum field, each accessing it according to their neural design, then perhaps evolution, over billions and eventually trillions of years, will grant intelligent species the capacity to gradually attain knowledge that ensures their eternal survival. In the distant future of this nascent universe, they may reach a level of awareness, understanding, and cosmic adaptability so profound that they evolve into godlike beings.