Living Without Philosophy argues that we do not need ethical theories, rules, and principles to decide what is right. Instead, particular cases can be judged by a detailed description of the relevant circumstances. When our judgments differ, we can decide how to act by deliberating under fair conditions. The author provides both a philosophical argument for this position and readings of literary texts in which moral theorists are portrayed as concrete characters. These works include Plato s Protagoras, selections from the Gospels and Dante, Boethius s Consolation of Philosophy, the debate between Erasmus and Luther, Erasmus s Praise of Folly, Shakespeare s King Lear, Nabokov s Lolita, and Martin Luther King s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Thus, Levine offers essentially a moral argument for the humanities, discussing the implications not only for ethics, but also for theology, law, politics, and education."