Truth anddiscourse in Heraclitus

The Greek enlightenment from which lasted Thales to Aristotle introduced the first examples of the scientific method and laid the foundation for the idea that science was the only competent tool in our struggle to understand the external world. However Heraclitus' understanding of truth is situated at a different point within the ancient Greek philosophers. According to Heraclitus, the whole structure of truth can only be understood with the knowledge of Logos, but this knowledge is grasped by intuition, not by scientific method. Heraclitus, on the other hand, is separated from its contemporaries not only by the understanding of truth but by the manner of discourse. Heraclitus has put forward his philosophical teaching in a way that conforms to his understanding of truth. In this context, he frequently used word games, riddles, paradoxes and so on. There are several different reasons for the use of these linguistic tools, but one of the most prominent reason for this use, it can be shown his understanding of truth. The truth is, according to Heraclitus, an intuitive phenomenon that takes place instantaneously, just as the solution of a riddle or the recognition of a paradox. Therefore, he established an analogy between the way of reaching truth and the form of discourse in his fragments, and with this feature he has become a archetype in the history of philosophy. The first chapter of our work reveals Heraclitus' understanding of truth and the method used to reach it. Second chapter is devoted to discourse. In this section, it is shown how the discourse is complied with what is revealed in the first chapter. In the last chapter, certain fragments are examined and the truth-discourse coexistence is, in a sense, explained practically.