{re}writing taxonomies

When we visit natural history museums or collections of specimens, there's a sense of dogma in the orderly arrangements. The names, descriptions, and relational organization seem final and complete, lacking the fluid nature of interpretation and organization that exists beyond the display cases.
If we could see the competing schools of thought, the historic organizations, and even their future restructuring, these specimens might appear fluid and chaotically composed of others. They would intersect and compete for stable, distinct forms and roles. If given the chance, would they recognize their relative positions as we have considered them to be? Is fluidity the sense of self for a butterfly, existing not only in relation to its cousins but also to its former metamorphic states?

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