Type 7 Societies

A Type-7 society will have access to planetary orbit, and a robust and largely unrestricted planetary data network, but will also be dealing with resource shortages and environmental collapse.

This civilization will likely have a semi-permanent space station in orbit. (picture by NASA)

Type 6 Societies

Wealth and prosperity signal an Age of Discovery and an Industrial Revolution, permanently transforming this society, and eventually ushering in the Atomic Age and the dawn of space exploration. Space will become the Final Frontier --the only remaining way for this civilization to expand.

The Industrial revolution and its underlying philosophy (that things of a type should be identical and interchangeable) will influence society from here onward. (picture from Getty Images)

Type 5 Societies

Type-5 societies tend to be unstable: while the leader of a Type-4 civilization can exert direct authority over an entire kingdom, the Type-5 society has grown too large and widespread. The ruler must now rely on territorial lords and administrators, who will have ample opportunity to act in secret.

The Roman Senate was the true power in this Type-5 society. (HBO's Rome, 2005)

Type 4 Societies

Early Type-4 societies face dangers from climate (a single bad drought/flood/harvest can starve the growing population), plague (dense populations, often with limited hygiene, and frequent new arrivals due to trade), and war (larger populations allow for the growth of armies, and will also strain resources). The high mortality rate (due to wars and plague) will push society toward large families, in the hope that at least some children will grow to old age. The dangers of plague and war will only add to this society's xenophobia --shunning outsiders is a valuable survival strategy.

A typical Iron-age city. (image from Ancient Architecture)

Type 3 Societies

A stable neolithic society has the opportunity to make long-term observations --recognizing that a buried seed can become a plant, and that the seasons change according to the stars and moons. This will trigger an agricultural revolution, which will completely transform society. Agriculture means more food, which means a larger, healthier, and more socially-complex population, which also means more problems with internal organization and raids from less-prosperous neighbours.

An advanced Type-3 society built Göbekli Tepe as a place of worship. (Picture by Fernando Baptista)