In this essay I put forward how the notion of positivist objectivity could be thought of as a move towards transparency, where the eye is cleared of content in order to produce science and truth. In relation to this I argue for the need to recognize the obscure as an inevitable part of thinking in and knowing about the world. Part of my argument here involves the ideas emphasized by adherents of mode 2, where utility for society is stressed as a vital premise for research and science.