There are some very interesting parallels between the ideas expressed in "Industrial Society and its Future" by FC (aka Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber) and the ideas expressed by Arnold Toynbee.

In A Study of History Toynbee coins the word etherealization. This term expresses his idea on a what takes place when a civilization is flourishing. Toynbee wrote that civilizations faced three kinds of challenges. One of them is too easy and the civilization does not grow, eventually declining and falling. One is too difficult -- either the civilization cannot meet the challenge and falls, or it meets the challenge but, due to the difficulty and great effort exerted, the civilization is not able to grow and becomes an arrested civilization. The third type of challenge is difficult but not insurmountable. This third type of challenge inspires the civilization to grow and flourish, reaching new heights -- etherealization.

In "Industrial Society and its Future" FC describes the power process. This consists of goal, effort, attainment of goal, and autonomy. According to FC, people experience the power process realize their true nature, wild nature. FC describes three types of drives: "(1) Those drives that can be satisfied with minimal effort; (2) Those that can be satisfied but only at the cost of serious effort; (3) Those that cannot be adequately satisfied no matter how much effort one makes." According to FC, the power process satisfies the second type of drive. FC states that most people are not going through the power process because they are trying to satisfy the first and third type of drive and do not have proper goals of the second category. Many are occupying themselves with surrogate activity, in which people create an artificial goal in order to have some goal to work toward or for fulfillment. FC argues, correctly, that these people are "never satisfied, never at rest." FC writes: "Many primitive peoples, when they don't have work to do, are quite content to sit for hours at a time doing nothing at all, because they are at peace with themselves and their world."

In the power process, autonomous effort is made to attain a goal. FC argues that the power process can only take place autonomously, not as part of a large group or organization. It creates "self-esteem, self confidence, and a sense of power" in the individual. Being deprived of the power process causes depression, low self-esteem, and a wide variety of other psychological disorders.

Both Toynbee and FC agree that a difficult but attainable goal or challenge and serious effort to meet the challenge are necessary for growth to occur. The only difference is that Toynbee's theory describes how civilizations flourish and FC's theory describes how individuals flourish.

It may be that civilizations that experience etherealization allow their citizens to experience the power process. Or perhaps individuals who experience wild nature and the power process create civilizations that experience etherealization.