confucianism confucius predates aristotle in using family as a model for the state he believed the child should be subordinate to the parent younger brother to the older wife to husband and subject to the sovereign who is to be regarded as the father of the nation the state as the family writ large was the most harmonious orderly and natural form of government this was later expanded to cover international relations i e the emperor of china as the older brother of the king of korea confucian family theory is still espoused in north korea to justify their method of leadership succession should this be included in the article