The human mind is a marvel of evolution. Our brains are capable of processing mass quantities of information, and due to this constant influx of data, our brains can develop differently. As our brains begin to differentiate from one another they develop certain cognitive faculties that allow things like perception, judgement, thinking, memory and consciousness.  These altogether form the mind within the brain, which is unique to each individual. As minds wander and brains process, the occurrence of negative thoughts may arise. It is believed that the more an individual's thought pattern trends negatively, the more easily the mind returns to these thought patterns later. This sort of downwards spiral of dissentient thoughts can develop into the basis of many mental disorders. Friedrich Nietzsche, renowned author of nihilistic works such as "On Truth and Lies in a Non-Moral Sense", presents his widely known ideals in a way that resonates with people. Nihilism is viewed to be somewhat of a cynical and depressing philosophical standpoint that denies the existence of eternalism and anything meaningful. This philosophy is what plagues the minds of many people causing negative thoughts and eventually insanity. DC Universe's The Joker characterizes many of these thoughts and portrays textbook traits of sociopathy, a severe mental disorder. Through analyzing The Joker's actions, it is evident that he holds nihilistic views on society and shares a disregard of structure and meaning with Nietzsche, a 19th century philosopher, implying that so little has changed in the way the mind of a sociopath is structured and the way they perceive the world. 

The Joker is widely known for being a sort of sadist with an extremely damaged psyche and severe mental issues. This sort of maniacal personality was portrayed terrifyingly well by Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. The Joker is a criminal mastermind in the fictional city of Gotham, where the crime ridden streets are constantly plagued by his psychopathic terrorism. Through these attacks he shows his disregard for mankind, and his lack of an effective conscience. This could have been caused by the philosophical ideas he shares with Nietzsche. "On Truth and Lies in a Non-Moral Sense" introduces the concept of a lack of truth due to it merely being a social construct. It also gives rise to the baseline idea of nihilism; that the universe will remain unaffected regardless of what we do and that we as people don't matter due to a lack of meaning. This sort of philosophy leads to an impaired set of morals, which naturally leads to isolation from society and its constructs. These feelings coincide with sociopathic behaviors, specifically those presented by The Joker. Nihilists' lack of empathy and their rejection of social norms make their minds in congruence to those of sociopaths. The perception of the world through a sociopath's eyes may have been sculpted by their nihilistic views on life. Nietzsche's work presents ideas that resonate with people, and lead them down the path to insanity. 

Nietzsche's firm belief in the concept of nihilism truly made him a pioneer of the subject. He brought his ideas to the world and they greatly affected western culture and philosophy. In "On Truth and Lies in a Non-Moral Sense" Nietzsche compares two individuals: one who is considered to be rational, and the other intuitive. The rational man is regarded to be the "rule setter" and follows societal norms. The intuitive man lives outside of these concepts and is considered to be freer. Because of this "freedom" the intuitive man develops creativity and knowledge that the rational man lacks. "There are ages in which the rational man and the intuitive man stand side by side, the one in fear of intuition, the other with scorn for abstraction. The latter is just as irrational as the former is inartistic." Both of these men wish to rule over mankind, but the intuitive man does so "by means of foresight, prudence, and regularity." (Nietzsche 188). The key here is that the intuitive man will do whatever he has to do in order to reach the top, even though he is susceptible to deeper suffering than his sheltered counterpart. Yet along with this chance of greater loss comes the chance of a greater reward. This chance of greatness is what drives the intuitive man. Nietzsche uses this metaphor to describe the freedom associated with a withdrawal from the structure of society. This concept is the most prominent of those shown in The Joker, as he is determined to gain power in society by working outside of it. These nihilistic views present within the character is what makes him so frightening to society. "Madness, as you know, is a lot like gravity, all it takes is a little push" (Dark Knight). This little push was from the thoughts and ideas associated with nihilism. 

Sociopaths tend to be very glib with a sense of superficial charm. They are manipulative, cunning, and have an incapacity for love. They're lack of empathy and shallow emotions lead them to have poor control over impulses and their behaviors. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders characterizes sociopathy by a "lack of regard for the moral or legal standards in the local culture" as well as the "inability to get along with others or abide by societal rules." One of the fundamental bases of nihilism is the disjunction from societal regularity, furthering its congruence with sociopathy. Friedrich Nietzsche's works resonated with many people, and have provoked such deep thoughts within them that it can drive them to the brink of sanity. With the thought that nothing in life has meaning it is easy to turn yourself from the world. The Joker, whose sociopathic tendencies line up with many of Nietzsche's beliefs, clearly exhibits signs of nihilism in his acts against society. Nihilists turn themselves against not only structure, but the rest of humanity. The Joker, aware of his torment of others believes "We stopped checking for monsters under our beds when we realized they were inside us." The idea of nihilism merely breeds negative thoughts, and these thoughts eventually lead to insanity. 

