They used to say that boxing is a gentleman’s sport, but when the fight begins in today’s world, gentlemen are few and far between. It is therefore with great delight that I have read Kaisa and Christoffer Leka’s new book, for here the gloves do come off in a gentlemanly way – with dignity and respect for the opponent, but nevertheless delivering some mighty punches. Such a match is all the more enjoyable as the opponent is the positivist materialism that today so often goes unchallenged. The outcome is perhaps not a knockout, but at the very least the Lekas manage to wipe that arrogantsneer off their opponent’s face, showing that while not everybody dares take up the fight, materialism is not the only contender out there to be taken seriously.

Måns Broo
University lecturer, Åbo Akademi, PhD