Is there an alien civilization in the universe? In fact, the answer to this question was already available at the moment when mankind walked out of the earth. Everyone who has seen the vast universe and the number of star coefficients that are too large to be counted will not doubt the existence of alien civilization.
Standing on the scale of the universe, the probability that an alien civilization does not exist is basically zero, and the existence of mankind itself is the best evidence for the existence of an alien civilization. Since alien civilizations exist, why have humans searched for more than half a century and haven’t found anything until now? In fact, the main reason is that our scientific and technological strength is limited, and the scope of exploration is very limited.
In the vast universe, the basic unit of distance is light-years, and the distances between stars are basically more than a few light-years. The solar system is the star system where humans are located. In the solar system, there is only humans as an intelligent civilization. Therefore, we want Searching for alien civilizations is only possible in other galaxies.
But the star system closest to the earth is 4.2 light-years away, and it will take at least hundreds of thousands of years for human spacecraft to reach 4.2 light-years away. The speed limit makes it impossible for us to go out of the solar system to explore other galaxies, and it is naturally difficult to find traces of alien civilizations.
Although we have not had all contact with any alien civilizations, and know almost nothing about cosmic civilization, this does not prevent human beings from being curious and thinking about cosmic civilization. We often speculate about what alien intelligent life looks like, and what is the difference between the development model of alien civilization and human civilization.
Although we have not yet come into contact with alien civilizations, it is based on the continuous improvement of scientists’ knowledge of the universe’s matter. Scientists believe that the basic elements of the universe originated from the singularity big bang 13.7 billion years ago, so the solar system and the earth’s matter and various physical laws are basically applicable everywhere in the universe.
In other words, no matter how many intelligent civilizations there are in the universe, the various laws of physics and the laws of the universe that need to be followed after these civilizations enter the age of science and technology are basically the same, although the direction of technological development may be different. But the general exploration direction and goal are the same.
The rules of the universe predestined that the scientific exploration directions of different civilizations are basically the same. The difference is that the strength of civilizations will have different levels due to the birth time and development speed of civilizations. So how are the strength levels of cosmic civilization divided? In this regard, in 1964, Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev simply divided four levels of civilizations that may appear in the universe.
The first level civilization is a planetary civilization, which means that it can completely control the entire planet, can change the climate and environment on the planet at will, and can use all the energy and resources on the entire planet. According to this standard, the current strength of human civilization is not even a first-class civilization, at most it can only be considered a level 0.7.
Mankind’s control of the earth is actually far worse. Our exploration of the ocean is only 10%, and there are very few ocean resources that can be used, and our control of the interior of the earth is basically no. Mankind’s current control of the earth is basically limited to the land on the surface and 10% of the ocean. There are still many unknown areas for exploration. This requires our continuous efforts in the future.
The secondary civilization is the stellar system civilization, which means that it can completely control the entire parent star system and can use all the energy and resources of the entire galaxy. An important symbol of the second-level civilization is the Dyson ball. I believe many friends have heard of the Dyson ball. It is an energy harvesting device around stars proposed by the famous scientist Freeman Dyson.
The development of any civilization is inseparable from energy, and the higher the level of civilization, the greater the demand for energy. After upgrading from a first-class civilization to a second-class civilization, the traditional planetary resources may no longer satisfy our development. At this time, a more powerful and inexhaustible energy source is needed. In the vast universe, stars are undoubtedly a very powerful, almost infinite energy for nuclear fusion.
Therefore, Dyson believes that the main energy source of the secondary civilization may be the stars of the parent galaxy, and to make full use of the energy of absorbing stars, we need to build a huge man-made Dyson sphere that can surround the stars. Of course, it is not easy to build such a Dyson ball. In addition to solving the various technical conditions, it also requires huge construction resources.
Let’s take the solar system as an example. If humans want to build a Dyson sphere after entering the second-level civilization, then they need to pay the price of various planets and asteroids. That is to say, at that time, except for the earth and the sun, all other planets in the solar system will disappear. Only by concentrating the planetary resources of the entire solar system can it be possible to build a Dyson sphere around the sun.
The third level civilization is the river system civilization, which means that all the energy and resources of the big galaxy can be used. For human beings, when we can use all the energy of the galaxy, we will be upgraded to the third level civilization. The most powerful energy source in the Milky Way is not the stars, but the supermassive black hole in the center. In fact, for the third-level civilization, stellar energy may not meet the needs of civilization development. At this time, it is necessary to seek more powerful energy. , And black holes are undoubtedly a good choice.
The fourth-level civilization may be the legendary cosmic civilization. Such a civilization has been able to use the most mysterious and powerful dark matter and dark energy in the universe. We all know that dark matter and dark energy are the core things in the universe, and they are the real masters that control everything in the universe.
Now that we have understood the scientists’ classification standards for the various levels of cosmic wisdom civilization, what level of civilization will humanity become in the future? Many people may say that as long as humanity continues to develop, it will eventually become the most powerful fourth-level civilization and become the overlord of the universe. Will such a goal be achieved?
From the perspective of mankind, everyone hopes that mankind can become the highest level four civilization in the universe. But from the perspective of rational thinking, the possibility of achieving this goal is very small. One reason for saying this is that humans may not be able to continue in the future.
We all understand that in this universe, whether it is matter or life, there is no eternity. Stars have their own lifespan, and life has its own lifespan. Then, human civilization naturally cannot violate the laws of the universe, and there is a high probability that there will be a cycle of civilization. After the development of human civilization to a certain stage, it is possible for some reason to usher in the end of civilization, and then after a long period of time, new intelligent life will be born on the earth and new civilization will appear.
Modern scientists have also been speculating that before humans appeared, the earth may have passed through several other prehistoric civilization eras. If there is a time period for the continuation of civilization, it may be difficult to achieve the ultimate development of the highest level of cosmic civilization. Because the upgrade of civilization takes a long time.
Perhaps it is for this reason that the universe appears very quiet, and we can’t really get in touch with advanced civilizations. For the vast universe, if civilization wants to contact and communicate, it may only be possible to master the technology of super-luminous flight. To be able to master the preliminary super-light-speed flight technology, at least the level 3 civilization is required.
However, most of the civilizations in the universe may have been extinct without being able to upgrade to Level 3 civilization. And those few third-level civilizations may be too far away from the earth, and they cannot rely on elementary superluminal technology to come to the solar system. Only when they are upgraded to the ultimate fourth-level civilization, they may be able to travel through wormholes, break space at will, and travel quickly. Everywhere in the universe.