Harper's query letter of a decade ago (rejected)

David W. Trulock
100 Riverbend Dr.

Apartment F9

West Columbia, SC

29169

Ann Gollin

Editor’s Assistant

Harper’s Magazine

666 Broadway, 11^th Floor

New York, New York 10012

September 3, 2001

　

Dear Ms. Gollin:

I’m interested in writing an essay for Harper’s about the mistaken idea that relativism has legitimate roots in relativity. I am guessing there will be a lot of “relativistic” articles published between now and the 100^th anniversary of Einstein’s relativity in 2005, and I would like to get the subject started off in the right direction for Harper’s readers.

I’ve enclosed some writing samples of mine, two of which are about relativity. The published piece, “Relativity is Not Relative And Einstein is Misunderstood,” appeared in Spectrum, a now-defunct alternative newspaper. “Displaying Little Regard for the Mysteries of Life” also appeared in Spectrum and was reprinted in A Spectrum Reader (August House, Little Rock, 1991). Spectrum was published bi-weekly in Little Rock from 1984 until 1990, when it became Spectrum Weekly. It may have weakened as a weekly, since it ceased publication in 1993. In any case, I moved from Little Rock to Austin in 1987 and didn’t write much for Spectrum after that. I wrote one full-length freelance article (enclosed) for the weekly Austin Chronicle, which is not defunct.

The short manuscript I’ve included in this query is my unsuccessful attempt to put the correct ideas about relativity on the New York Times Op-Ed page on April 18 of this year. In naming Albert Einstein “person of the century” a year and a half ago, Time magazine published some incorrect ideas about relativity. Walter Isaacson, for example, in his article “Who Mattered and Why,” implied that Einstein’s relativity destroyed the meaning or the existence of absolute laws. I hope from my enclosed writing samples you can see this is not true.

Why should I be the one to write this article? Because it’s likely no one else is going to bother to write it—many physicists accept the “two cultures” of relativity. Also, I’ve studied relativity for 25 years, independently and in graduate and undergraduate classes, and as a research project with Dr. John Safko here at the University of South Carolina, where I’m seeking a physics PhD. I have a master’s degree in physics from Southwest Texas State University, where I taught some physics classes, and a BA in physics from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. I also attended Columbia University (Summer 1978) and the University of Texas at Austin (on and off as a non-degree-seeking student).

Sincerely yours,