Hello, SFIA audio listeners. In this month's Nebula exclusive, big alien theory,

we're asking the reason alien civilizations might be rare is because most aliens are huge.

To hear it and every episode early and ad-free, plus hours of bonus content,

check out go.nebler.tv slash Isaac Arthur and use my code, Isaac Arthur.

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A glorious and bright future awaits us if we can become a Kardashev civilization,

but what barriers stand between us and that bright future? So this episode marks the eighth anniversary of our first episode of Science and Futurism with Isaac Arthur.

Now I thought for SFIA's eighth birthday, it would be a good time to revisit the core concept

behind our original episode on megastructures, which is be a good time to revisit the core concept behind our original

episode on megastructures, which is what a Cartierchow-scale civilization really would tend

to look like compared to our classic science fiction and space opera interstellar empires

and federations.

I think in many ways, that's best discussed by way of by what the barriers are to reaching that level,

but first let's review what the Cardishov scale is.

Now there's three levels of Cardishov civilizations known as K1, K2, and K3, and each

level on that scale has its own barriers to reaching it and challenges to overcome once

you're there, but

first, if you'd like to help the channel reach a new level, make sure to hit those

like and subscribe buttons.

The Kardashev-Skir's originator, Astronomer Nikolai Kardashev, suggested as a classification

for advanced civilizations based on how much power they'd consume, and the skill is on

astronomical grades, planetary, solar, and galactic. It has come to also imply a civilization's

...