According to Wikipedia, A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements. It is a society or culture group normally defined as a complex society characterized by the practice of agriculture and settlement in cities. Compared with other cultures, members of a civilization are organized into a diverse division of labor and an intricate social hierarchy.

The term civilization is often used as a synonym for the broader term “culture” in both popular and academic circles. Every human being participates in a culture, defined as “the arts, customs, habits… beliefs, values, behavior and material habits that constitute a people’s way of life”. However, in its most widely used definition, civilization is a descriptive term for a relatively complex agricultural and urban culture. Civilizations can be distinguished from other cultures by their high level of social complexity and organization, and by their diverse economic and cultural activities.

In another less standard usage, the term “civilization” can be used in a normative sense as well: if complex and urban cultures are assumed to be superior to other “savage” or “barbarian” cultures, then “civilization” is used as a synonym for “superiority of certain groups.” In a similar sense, civilization can mean “refinement of thought, manners, or taste”.

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Dr. Michio Kaku, a physicist talks about the future of civilization.

There are four types of civilizations. In which we specifically can rank them by energy consumption. In a seminal paper published in1964 in the Journal of Soviet Astronomy, Russian astrophysicist Nicolai Kardashev theorized that advanced civilizations must be categorized according to three types: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 type civilizations which have mastered galactic energy consumption, and space travel in which are calculated by a difference of billions (Kaku). A type 1 civilization is one that harnesses the energy of an entire planet. A type 2 civilization is one that harnesses the energy output of an entire star, and generates about ten billion times the energy of a type 1 civilization. The type 3 civilization is one that harnesses the energy output of an entire galaxy, or about ten billion times the energy output of a type 2 civilization (Kaku). Right now, the human civilization is a type 0, in which earth relies on any or all possible energy sources available just to survive.

The type of civilization and economy also determines the lifestyle of a civilization; this idea must be displayed from an astronomical aspect. For example, considering that Earth today is a type 0 civilization in the process of becoming a type 1 civilization, the lifestyle of the planet from a global aspect is terrible. Presently in earths type 0 civilization we have war, hunger, poverty, conspiracies, genocides, and much more disruption in the world. More than half the world lives on less than two dollars a day (Global Issues)! The inhabitants of planet earth are in grief and live poor lifestyles. Eventually at some turn of a century Earth will have made its final transition to a Type 1 Civilization, by then civilization will have made several trips to different planets in the solar system, and will have solved many problems of economy, government, disease, and possibly war. Though it is predictable that even a Type 1 Civilization will still be faced with poverty, hunger, and genocide, versus solutions. When coming to conclusion to the transitions that a civilization will go through, it can be said that as a civilization advances the more comfortable lifestyles will be, and so will economic attainment. As we advance lifestyles and prosperity amongst the universe, man’s greatest frontier will continuously change as we arise above bigger problems human civilization will be faced with, and problems of today will be problems of the past as the hands of humans reach out into the heavens.

One of the most fascinating subjects of space and the unknown is the idea of extraterrestrial life. The existence of intelligent life is a compelling idea by itself, in which extraterrestrial beings may exist on other stars that are centuries to millennia more advanced than earths own. Within the Milky Way Galaxy alone, there are over one hundred Billion stars, and there are an uncountable number of galaxies in the universe (Guy). About half the stars in the galaxy are double stars, making them possibly unsuitable for intelligent life, but the remaining half probably have solar systems somewhat similar to our sun’s system (Kaku). Though to many other people this idea of life beyond our understanding may seem ridiculous to them, but one should never doubt the idea. Many respond by saying if they existed they would have already came. Well, think of it like this. When someone comes across an ant hill, which would be a primitive concept of civilization compared to our own. They will either step over it, or kick it, and destroy the ant hill. Now, why would an advanced civilization attempt to bother with our primitive civilization that can barely get out of the earth’s gravitational field? Despite the morality of that concept, does not mean that it is true. If human civilization ever happened to encounter a type 3 civilization it is very possible our civilization would work together and share technologies to continue advancement, it would be a new type of contact. It would eliminate the idea that countries and boundaries are foreign, but the new foreigners would be those from other planets. It would cause a conclusive unexplainable feeling for the earth to work together as one, as a world nation. This concept moves us to diplomacy in the journey to colonize space. It may be a subject not many understand, as to how the colonization of space could possibly bring world peace in the long run.

It’s obvious that the Earth is not perfect; many even believe that our world leaders are leading us into the direction of complete chaos. Despite the world’s current condition, even with disease, war, poverty, and global warming talk going about. It is evident that one of the greatest benefits of the colonization of space would be the future diplomatic potential that can have a 180 degree turn on the earth’s current positions. The concept where each planet is ruled and governed independently as one nation. This concept of a federation of planets would make it impossible for wars among the countries of each planet, unless civil. This means world peace, the planets will also have strong economy due to all the imports available from nearby resources in space. If Mars were to be colonized it would have a very strong economy, it may even surpass Earth in technological advances. In the near future the borders to Canada and Mexico will be removed from the U.S., so that the U.S. can become the “North American Union,” or NAU. Much like the European Union, and African Union and soon to be Asian Union, our currency will be changed to the “Amero,” like the Euro used in the European Union. This concept for the U.S. has been in the blueprint stages for a while, but it was recently mentioned on CNN. Much of the U.S. is not familiar with the concept, that’s because the government has kept it secrete for so long. It will remove the immigration laws, rid the national debt, and better our economy. In the long run, these continental unions are governments that contribute to the concept of a world nation. The unions are not opponents but allies working together under the same laws. The world is already becoming prepared for greater things and visions of a better lifestyle. Diplomacy is very important and each idea is creative, and contributes to how planets will be governed.