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Kelvin TamEW1023 Progression 3 Draft 1

In 1964, Russian scientist Nikolai Kardashev proposed three levels of civilization. These classifications are derived from the energy capacity of the civilization and jointly make up the Kardashev Scale. A Type I civilization has the energy capability of an entire planet. A Type II civilization controls the energy output of a solar system, or a star that is comparable to the sun. A Type III controls the energy of an entire galaxy, similar to our own Milky Way galaxy. The Kardashev Scale serves as a prophecy of the future of human civilization but it is a prophecy that lacks specificity. It offers no insight on when these transitions from one level of civilization to another will take place and more importantly, the characteristics of these civilizations.

In the half century that has elapsed since Kardashev first proposed his scale, society has made significant progress towards a Type I civilization. Perhaps the biggest step taken towards this goal in recent years is the discovery of the particle known as the Higgs Boson. The Higgs Boson is a piece of a grand model of the universe called the Standard Model, which is a collection of equations and formulas that describes the behavior of the observable universe and connects the four branches of physics. Before the existence of the Boson, scientists faced the problem of creating a formula for mass in the standard model. Simply put, it didnt belong in the model even though it was a trait that subatomic particles were known to have.

In 1964, a Peter Higgs and group of physicists proposed the existence of a field that could break the symmetry of the laws proposed in the Standard Model. This unique field could explain how fundamental elements of matter such as quarks and electrons possessed came to possess mass. In order to confirm the existence of this field, known as the Higgs Field, scientists sought to experimentally confirm a particle given off by the Higgs Field known as the Higgs Boson. On July 4th 2012, researchers at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland announced the discovery of a particle that closely resembled the theorized Boson. As of March 2013, the particle is tentatively confirmed to exist.

If the particle is confirmed, the long awaited Standard Model will be complete. With the completion of the Standard Model, the complexities and unpredictability of the universe will collapse into a simple, predictable set of equations. For Gretel Ehrlich, this may come as an unsettling thought. In her essay Spring Ehrlich reckons with the unpredictability of the universe and arrives at the conclusion that this complexity is a fundamental element of life. Life has meaning because its creation and destruction are completely random, or is simply controlled by forces that we do not comprehend. In a world governed by simple, known laws there is no room for anomaly or change. But perhaps the search for the Boson is not a search for simplicity.

The theoretical model provided by the Standard Model predicts only its physical characteristics. Henry Reich, the creator of a Youtube channel called MinutePhysics says the Higgs Boson may very well be the final puzzle piece of the Standard Model, but even scientists don't want that. The completion of the Standard Model would mean the termination of a theory that succeeds only in explaining everything in the observable universe, which makes up a mere ten percent of the entire universe. Reich hopes that the Boson's discovery isn't one that gives a well rounded explanation of the universe, but rather one that connects our present puzzle to other puzzle pieces that have yet to be discovered. In short, it appears that the ultimate goal of completing the Standard Model isn't for the sake of simplicity, but rather a search for complexity. Complexity is an outlet for more knowledge, whereas simplicity is an exhaustible resource.

But as we answer more and more mysteries about the universe, we invariably simplify it. After all, knowledge is the process of internalizing a complex idea into a simple, understandable form. That lack of comprehension we face before understanding something generates a respect for the knowledge that has yet to be investigated. But once we become capable of teasing out a rational pattern to the universe, we look to it with a manipulative eye. The focus of exploration shifts from a quest of answers to a quest for personal gains that diminishes the bit of respect we once possessed.

An understanding of the universe means a heightened ability to manipulate it. This has historically been the case; from the discovery of fire at the dawn of humanity to the industrial revolution. The tendency to constantly reshape one's surroundings means the gradual loss of respect for that environment. This is manifested in our everyday lives, from the wars countries fight over oil to the oil spills in the Persian Gulf. The BP oil spill lasted a total of 87 days and released over 200 million gallons of crude oil into a strip of land 125 miles long, making marine life in these areas impossible. Similarly, the ozone layer is gradually depleted by the green house gasses released by the use of fossil fuels.

In the essay "Hiroshima," John Berger gives a horrific account of the release of the first atomic bomb. Berger calls the victims of the bombing hibakuskithose who have seen hell.(Berger, 142). He states what happened was consciously and precisely planned, (Berger, 144) an act of destruction intended to terminate the lives of fellow humans. Today, the countries all around the world possess perfected versions of the atomic bomb that wiped out Hiroshima. At any given moment, humanity can level planet earth and all life that exists on it centuries before reaching Type I civilization. On the day when humans actually achieve this status, will there still be a world to call home? Or will humanity have to migrate to other planets in order to escape the destruction caused to its own?

Perhaps another point of consideration is the humanity of these advanced civilizations. Science fiction as popularized the image of humans who display ambivalence towards others in futuristic environments. The Higgs Boson may very well be the first step to the transformation by providing an understanding of the origin of the universe and its elements. Professor Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University stated the following about the Higgs Boson:The background 'Higgs' field permeates all of space and is largely responsible for the existence of stars, planets and humans. The confirmation of the existence of this field strongly supports what modern physics has said for years: The many features of our universe can be largely accidental consequences of the conditions associated with the universes 'birth,' consistent with the laws of physics.In his summary of the Boson, Krauss calls the features of the universe "accidental consequences" of the birth of the universe that are supplemented by the laws of physics. This proposition seems to imply that the creation of stars, solar systems, and even human life stem from an anomaly to the laws of natures that existed in a preexisting grand order. The message it carries then, is one fundamentally opposes the teachings of religion. In many faiths, life is a gift delegated by a divine being. The process of creating life was intentional and a meticulous process, not some accident that was never meant to happen. If the Higgs Boson provides a means to confirm that our existence is in fact an "accident" then it will fundamentally destroy the ideas that holds religion together. Similarly, when Copernicus was able to prove that the sun revolved around the earth, he posed an immediate threat to the church.