When Soviet astrophysicist Nikolai Kardachev developed the Kardachev scale, he aimed to predict how far human civilization could advance.
If we want to predict what civilization will look like in 1000 years, it would help to look back in time to 1000 years ago and see how far we’ve come; the result is surprising. In a way, mankind has progressed exponentially in a millennium, and in some ways, not at all.
First, we cannot deny that we experienced such revolutionary changes such as the industrial revolution and now the digital revolution. There were no major advances for at least two millennia until pretty much the 15th century. Gutenberg’s printing press allowed for the rapid spread of information, and the cotton gin, which came later along with other agricultural technology, allowed for increased production.
Looking back, it is easy to see that while mankind made tremendous progress, it took many years. In the present day, we went from Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first airplane to landing on the moon in the span of a measly 66 years. That’s incredible progress in just three scores and six years.
Considering that we are witnessing an incredibly fast digital revolution in the present, it is not difficult to imagine that we can advance leaps and bounds over the next millennia.
Billionaire Elon Musk already has his eyes set on becoming a multi-planetary species and aims to develop advanced technology to allow for mankind to colonize the moon.
Musk has also introduced a chip, Neuralink, which he wants to insert inside the skulls of volunteers. These mini-computers are intended to allow users the ability to control a computer, for instance, simply by thinking about what it should do.
This groundbreaking technology could develop into a far-reaching ability to manipulate distant robots and vehicles either on Earth or another planet simply by thinking about them and using thought to control their actions.
Today, we use less than one percent of the Sun’s energy to power technology on Earth. We have massive arrays of solar panels, but these capture only a minute part of the Sun’s rays. In another 1000 years, we may have discovered how to harness 100% of the Sun’s energy for our needs.
Assuming mankind has already managed to establish a presence on the Moon as well as on Mars, we will need to have alternate sources of energy as well as the ability to store massive amounts of energy. It is not difficult to imagine that many of us will be computerized in some way – not humanoids or robot-like beings – but have an internal chip or organ-like computer that will be able to power us to another level of energy and thought. Our bodies and minds will be more capable of carrying out tasks otherwise considered difficult or impossible. Powered by a computer and alternate energy, we may be able to become something of a cross between a human and a robot.
Energy, transportation, and medicine, as well as how we eat, work, and live, will have undergone significant and fundamental changes. Considering that the climate on Earth will be significantly warmer than today due to climate change, we will need to adapt the way we live, whether it is manifested in our style of clothing, our air conditioning, where we live, and even what we eat.
We have come far in terms of philosophy, our understanding of the universe, and our grasp of the human body, physiology, biology, and medicine. Today, we are capable of performing surgeries never thought to be imaginable. We may not understand everything about our body, especially the brain, but we have learned so much in just the last century.
Going back to Kardachev, his scale involved levels of energy that would involve a highly advanced civilization with the ability to harness and use immense amounts of energy. For instance, it is plausible for us to imagine a massive colony of robots on Mars and other planets or distant solar systems carrying out repetitive and dangerous tasks. These robots would require a large amount of energy and would even be capable of duplicating themselves.
What is clear is that while mankind barely progressed in two millennia, the last 200 years have seen an incredible explosion in thought, medicine, and technology. We humans are capable of so much more, and there is little doubt that our distant descendants in 50 generations will live in a vastly different world than we do today.