Welcome to the Evolving Man Project’s ‘Evolved Man of the Week’ profile. Each week, we highlight an individual who embodies what it means to be an evolved man, famous and non-famous men alike. The world needs to know their stories and deeds. This week’s honor goes to the author, former whiz kid, theoretical physicist, science educator, veteran, and television personality, Professor Michio Kaku.
Mr. Kuku recalls a time in his childhood when he became fascinated science and the mysteries of the universe. He was inspired by the great physicist Albert Einstein.
“That’s right. Ever since I was 8 years old, I was fascinated by the fact that Einstein could not finish his greatest work. What could be so hard? So I wanted to be part of this great mission to complete the theory of everything, which of course is the basis for an Oscar nominated movie, The Theory of Everything. I said to myself, “That’s for me.” But I had to do something, to be worthy of the theory of everything.”
Professor Kaku ponders the universe, the stars, and the nature of reality for a living. He is one of the founding fathers of string theory. Dr. Kaku has spent an entire lifetime working on understanding the fundamental nature of the universe to find the coveted, “A Theory of Everything.” These ideas and theories involve researchers and approaches using some of the most complicated mathematical equations known to humankind. Thankfully, Dr. Kaku is a popularizer of science to the public and has a talent for breaking down complex, cutting-edge theories and mathematics for us mere mortals. Here, Dr. Kaku explains the differences between advanced civilizations:
“We physicists rank civilizations by energy. A Type 1 planetary civilization uses all the energy that is available on the planet. In a hundred years, we’ll be Type 1. We’re on our way there. We will control the weather. We will control earthquakes and volcanoes eventually. Anything planetary, we will control. Type 2 is stellar. We will control stars, like Star Trek. Then Type 3 is the entire galaxy, where we’ll control the Milky Way galaxy.”
Michio Kaku was born in San Jose, California in 1957. He received his BS from Harvard and his Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley. Throughout his four-decade career, Dr. Kaku has appeared in numerous T.V. shows and documentaries like Horizon, NBC News, Fox News, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Universe, Conan, and a commercial 2016 for TurboTax. He is the author of eight science books including The Future of the Mind, Physics of the Impossible, and Visions to name a few. He hosts a weekly radio show Exploration and Science Fantastic. He is a lecturer at City University and is a winner of the Klopsteg Memorial Award. Despite all his accomplishments and accolades, Dr. Kaku notes why people with some of the brightest minds on Earth don’t rule us all:
“In so many comic books and movies, we have the super genius becoming the villain, like Lex Luthor, or all the movies where you see super brains take over the world. But actually we do have super brains, they actually do exist: Some of them are my friends, they have Nobel prizes in theoretical physics, and their incomes are very low, a fraction of what Zuckerberg makes as a founder of Facebook. And so, having a super brain does not make you suddenly become a dictator of the world. We don’t have to fear the scenarios of science fiction where the Lex Luthors of the world take over, because people with exceptional ability, they don’t become politicians, they don’t become multi-millionaires, and some of them become professors like me, making a measly income.”
We hope Dr. Kaku continues to share his wisdom and far-reaching ideas about the universe and educating the masses about the latest frontiers of science. Today, we honor Michio Kaku has this week’s Evolved Man of the Week.
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