To Know or Not to Know?

[Guest]

Hypothetically speaking, would you want to know without a doubt who the Ripper was or do you value the speculation, wonder, and discussion of the case more?

Although I no longer feel that the DNA evidence introduced in 2014 naming Aaron Kosminski as the Ripper is conclusive, I remember how disappointed I was when I first read about it. It made me very sad to think that my passion for the mystery had come to an end. What about you? How do you feel about it?

[John Wheat]

Hypothetically speaking, would you want to know without a doubt who the Ripper was or do you value the speculation, wonder, and discussion of the case more?

Although I no longer feel that the DNA evidence introduced in 2014 naming Aaron Kosminski as the Ripper is conclusive, I remember how disappointed I was when I first read about it. It made me very sad to think that my passion for the mystery had come to an end. What about you? How do you feel about it?

If we did find out who the Ripper was for good would it really be the end of studying though? We could look into the life of the Ripper, do accurate psych profiles, still research the lives of the victims etc.

[GBinOz]

Just as in an infinite number of monkeys on typewriters will eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare, someone, somewhere has posted a theory that had absolutely nailed it, but will not be acknowledged until time reveals the truth....and probably not even then.

Cheers, George

[DJA]

You rang? - YouTube

[Kattrup]

If we did find out who the Ripper was for good would it really be the end of studying though? We could look into the life of the Ripper, do accurate psych profiles, still research the lives of the victims etc.

Agree completely - there are tons of books written about identified serial killers, so knowing who it was in no way hinders further study.

[Ms Diddles]

I would certainly like to know.

I like nice, neat resolutions, so it irks me that this is highly unlikely to happen in this case.

I guess if we ever found out the truth there would likely be a sense of relief inevitably followed by a feeling of anti-climax.

I am with John Wheat and Kattrup though, in that I don't think this would necessarily mean the end of my fascination.

There are other aspects of the case which are as interesting as the whodunnit element.

[Guest]

I am with John Wheat and Kattrup, though, in that I don't think this would necessarily mean the end of my fascination. There are other aspects of the case which are as interesting as the whodunnit element.

Fair enough. I would certainly still be interested in the case, but to me, Ripper is far higher on the list of things I'm intrigued by than say, Ted Bundy. I know about Ted Bundy. I know who he was and I know what he was. Ripper, on the other hand...

The mystery creates the excitement for me.

[The Baron]

“…undiscovered murders’ are rare in London, and the Jack the Ripper crimes are not within that category…”


I think they've solved it back then, still it is an interesting field of research.



The Baron

[erobitha]

Just as in an infinite number of monkeys on typewriters will eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare, someone, somewhere has posted a theory that had absolutely nailed it, but will not be acknowledged until time reveals the truth....and probably not even then.

Cheers, George

Time Reveals All.

[Ms Diddles]

Fair enough. I would certainly still be interested in the case, but to me, Ripper is far higher on the list of things I'm intrigued by than say, Ted Bundy. I know about Ted Bundy. I know who he was and I know what he was. Ripper, on the other hand...

The mystery creates the excitement for me.

Hi Starlit!

Agreed, it was the mystery which got me hooked in the first place too!

There seems to be a strange thing that happens in Ripperology almost by osmosis though.

You start off fascinated by the mystery, and perhaps optimistic that it can be solved.

As you read and study more, you realise how unlikely we are to reach an incontrovertible resolution, and you start to find other aspects of the case which fascinate you, but are independent on the whodunit element.

For some it's the lives of the victims, or the history of the police force, or the socio-political climate or.... the list goes on!

Unfortunately I have reached the sorry conclusion that based on what we have, we will probably never know.

That said, it is brilliant when new finds are made which cause us to re-evaluate.

The recent find which triggered the whole Druitt / cricket thread is really amazing, and has caused us to re-examine certain things which we had taken for granted.

That gives me some hope that there are other important finds to be made out there.

Whether we can ever answer the big question I very much doubt, but I for one would chew off my own right arm to know the answer!!!

[DJA]

[Ms Diddles]

Ahhh, Dave!

She's chewed off both arms!!!

Perhaps she was furnished with the answer to both "who was Jack?" and "who was MJK?"!!

[spyglass]

Hi all,
I would think it better if we could go through the list of main suspects and eliminate them one by one with absolute proof that they didnt do it.
ofcourse, that will never happen either either.

Regards

[Trevor Marriott]

I would certainly like to know.

I like nice, neat resolutions, so it irks me that this is highly unlikely to happen in this case.

I guess if we ever found out the truth there would likely be a sense of relief inevitably followed by a feeling of anti-climax.

I am with John Wheat and Kattrup though, in that I don't think this would necessarily mean the end of my fascination.

There are other aspects of the case which are as interesting as the whodunnit element.

If it were the case that the killer was reicarnated and walked into a local police station today and confessed, there would be those researchers who would find a way to dimiss that confession, because to some ripperology has become and obsession, and the thought of it coming to an abrupt end is a terrifying thought, what would they do,where would they go with no casebook to sit watching and replying to every hour of the day and night?

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[Guest]

If it were the case that the killer was reicarnated and walked into a local police station today and confessed, there would be those researchers who would find a way to dimiss that confession, because to some ripperology has become and obsession, and the thought of it coming to an abrupt end is a terrifying thought, what would they do,where would they go with no casebook to sit watching and replying to every hour of the day and night?

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

Exactly. lol Compared to the rest of social media, Casebook is refreshing in the intelligence of its population and clarity of its general discussion. This is the first website I've been on in years where I've offered a lengthy opinion on a subject and have not had someone reply and ask me to dumb it down for them. xD