Whether or not you’ve seen the movie or read the book “Unbroken”, which is about a man who chooses to forgive the enemies who tortured him, this last week’s discussion assignment is to review the following brief materials/videos about Louis Zamperini and his choice to forgive his enemies and then answer the following questions.  The movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrjJbl7kRrI.  The basic story:https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/FORGIVENESS-Unbroken-Louis-Zamperini-Story.  Another movie preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmj-jKjWYEo.  An interview with the director, Angelina Jolie:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXEs1sYSJEQ

[1] Do you believe we have a moral obligation to forgive our enemies or is the act of forgiving one’s enemies something extra that goes above and beyond what is one’s duty?  Explain your answer.

There is a contrary view, summarized in an article by David Levy reviewing a book by Thomas Brudholm called “Resentment’s Virtue: Jean Améry and the Refusal to Forgive.”  According to Levy, Brudholm’s work is to expose “the fallacy of encouraging the victims of atrocities to leave their past behind, move on, forget, overcome their traumas, and find contentment under the platitude of ‘peace and happiness.’ … Brudholm helps us recuperate an ethic of the virtue of resentment, which serves as a moral placeholder to hold the perpetrators and bystanders responsible and accountable for their unjust actions.”

[2] Do you think there is any weight to this counter argument against forgiveness as a good thing and in favor of a certain kind of resentment as a virtue?  Explain.

Reference: David B. Levy. Review of Brudholm, Thomas, Resentment’s Virtue: Jean Améry and the Refusal to Forgive. H-Genocide, H-Net Reviews. October, 2009 – https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=23071