The major value of "The Time of World-as-Picture"¹ consists in the analysis of Descartes, which we have examined already. What it says about foundational thought is, as far as the essay itself goes, of secondary importance, but for us it is no less real for that. Particularly illuminating are the passages where the author contrasts the Cartesian version of presentative thought with what he understands to be the Greek νοείν.