Patriarchy is a a social system where men control a disproportionately large share of social, economic, political and religious power, and inheritance usually passes down the male line. That's the definition and one I'd broadly agree with.
Prima facie there's nothing good about it - it's unequal, it's unfair, it's dangerous and stupid. But all systems create both consequences and emergent properties. My argument is that patriarchy sped up technological innovation by applying pressure via warfare. Again... not arguing that warfare is a good thing but it creates a military necessity and something is developed to fill that need - this thing is then appropriated into the culture to fill some other needs and society moves forward. It's a double-edged sword, as Nuclear Weapons demonstrated in 1946, but by 1951 nuclear power emerges and begins to power homes on both sides of the iron curtain, reducing the need for miners and leading to social reform and an emergent middle class.
Putting war aside as a 'life-or-death' competition, things like the Space Race and 'being the first' also tend to push the limits of achievability. These seem a byproduct of Patriarchy because they are a byproduct of that seemingly male desire to dick-swing on a national and social level.
Would a more less patriarchal society have been as innovation centred? Perhaps. Perhaps not. My aversion to the social aspects of Patriarchy - and they are there, I'm not a tubthumping MRA is offset by the fact as a system of organisation it is capable of BOTH great cruelty and great innovation.
Do I think Patriarchy is sustainable - not in the slightest. I think as we move to post-capitalism (whole other article) we're going to have to paradigm shift humans into new ways of thinking - mostly by flattening earnings and working cooperatively. What I find most interesting is that Patriarchy has vomited up so many of the seeds of its own destruction... including both capitalism and feminism. As I said to SC, I have concerns that feminism is being co-opted into capitalism (and competition) more than it should be - but that's a whole other kettle of krill.
