Clio

Clio is the Muse of History.

She is a reader of books, a seeker of patterns. Clio gets frustrated by the notion that history is confined to human affairs. She loves natural history and geology. Rocks tell so many stories. They are rarely in a hurry, and so a perfect vehicle for studying the past, as well as how we think about time.

History, the human version, is mostly written in violence and upheaval, but real growth is based in cooperation. The story of life on Earth is written in collaboration, cooperation, mutualism. Clio is fascinated by lichens and mitochondria, beehives and ant colonies, rowing teams and artists and their muses.  

Clio thinks trees are the coolest things ever. They are true manifestations of evolution and emergence; they are exemplars of cooperation, networks of fungi and bacteria working with a plant to create an entire world that sustains life. But trees are also links to the past. The rings of a tree tell a story and connect to a specific time. Like rocks, they are a interesting way to look at history.

Clio wonders if the future of life- the next history- will be very changed. To space? A digital human network collaboration? Total annihilation? Clio has been around for a long time. Every civilization has their existential dread, but life persists. She is a student of history, not just humans. 

Clio has a dog named Mighty. He likes to lay in puddles and is scared of loud noises, even though he is supposed to be a hunting dog. When there are fireworks or wars, he hides under Clio’s table.