How Humans Will Become A Type 2 Civilization
Unlike a Type I or K1 civilization that can control only planetary energies, a Type 2 civilization has advanced enough that they now have the capability to control their solar system. This advanced civilization can harness the solar power output of a star, and possibly travel to other solar systems to build and harness their stars’ energy using the Dyson Sphere or Matrioshka brain.
Aside from fusion energy, a type 2 civilization will be powerful enough to extract raw materials and other essential objects from many solar systems.
What is a Type 2 civilization?
A type 2 civilization is a space-faring civilization with the capability of harnessing and extracting raw materials, and fusion energy from its own solar system and many others. Unlike a Type 1 civilization which is only limited to its solar system, a Type 2 will be powerful enough to start crewed interstellar travel, terraforming of planets, advanced interstellar communication, sophisticated stellar engineering, and building other futuristic technologies that can enable it to travel between star systems.
Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev proposed the concept of the Kardashev Scale in 1964 as a creative way to measure the technological growth of any civilization like ours. The astronomer predicted that humans would become a type 2 civilization in the next 3200.
At that time, human civilization will be consuming 10 billion times more power than we do today. Our kind’s power consumption will reach 1026 watts as our descendants will use the Dyson sphere to track the entire solar power output emitted by the Sun.
How Humans will become a type 2 civilization
For humans to become a type 2 civilization, we have to first become a type 1 civilization. Futurist Michio Kaku has already predicted that humans will become a type 1 civilization in the next 100 to 200 years. Since we are currently at 0.73 on the Kardashev Scale, we have to focus more on developing technologies that will enable us to take full control of our planet.
In a few centuries from now, after we have become a type 1 civilization, we should be able to use the energy sources of Earth to power advanced technologies that would move us closer to becoming a type 2 civilization. In the next 1000 years, humankind must have started accelerating faster on the Kardashev scale.
We should be expecting our descendants to spread across the solar system, living on the surface of most celestial terrestrial bodies and in the skies of Venus. The human civilization must have advanced enough to start thinking of building a Dyson sphere around the Sun. Future space engineers and scientists will move closer to the Sun and build a highly protective space-based city there.
How Will Humans Build A Dyson Sphere
Both robots and humans will work in collaboration and build the Dyson sphere. It will not be built on a single body. Freeman Dyson, the scientist behind the concept of the Dyson sphere proposed that our descendants will develop such a futuristic technology by sending millions of independent machines to orbit the sun and beam its entire solar output to us.
Humans can store this energy and use it to power their interstellar spaceships. With this advanced energy source, our kind may commence on the journey to other solar systems to conquer new star systems. Hence, they will build Dyson spheres around each star system that they enter and harness the solar energies of many solar systems.
What Humans Will Do As A Type 2 Civilization
As a type 2 civilization, humans will terraform most terrestrial planets and moons in the solar system. We will also make these terraformed bodies habitable for humans. Our kind will advance to a Godlike superintelligence and develop technologies that will mine most asteroids in the asteroid belt region, Kuiper Belt, and the Oort Cloud.
They will use resources from these rich mineral asteroids to build sophisticated technologies on distant worlds within the solar system. Since Earth is our planet of birth, our descendants will use the resources obtained from asteroids to protect our planet from asteroid impacts.
At that time, humans must have figured out how to extend life and possibly digital immortality. Humans will also be able to build new space habitats with oceans, atmosphere, and landmasses. Hence, our descendants will not be the only occupants of these new habitats as they will share the environments with androids, transhumans, and many others.
In addition, most humans will put their digital versions in advanced realistic simulations. The energy extracted from the Sun will be used to power advanced interstellar ships that will carry humans and androids to another star system.