No, you really have to be a systematic taxonomist to understand how they/we think. We?- I'm trained as a fish systematist, just don't "practice" for a living anymore. Names aren't made up just to publish stuff. Other than collecting specimens and maybe traveling to other museums, taxonomy is a pretty inexpensive science compared to many other disciplines (like the mucho costly pharma/bioengineering research I do now). So grants are usually geared to conservation/biodiversity. Systematists (most?) do their thing because they honestly can't help it- they want to know the truth and more searching leads to more knowledge leads to changes. New techniques give more areas to look... It's like a neurosis! I know it seems weird, but we're like the Rainmen (and women) of biology. Imagine living your life wanting to put name tags on everything- the sock drawer, your left and right shoes, the hangers in your closet. Really. I managed to dodge those tendencies long ago, but replaced it with systematic taxonomy and now managing a lab and our collection to redirect that energy a little more usefully. Shoot, at least plants sit still long enough to stick a name tag on them. Fish never stand still long enough! When a name changes or a new variety/form is created, it's hard for me to not change a tag- just like if someone swapped the tags for the left and right shoes. Make a little more sense?
-Ernie