Herpetology and herpetologists have the potential for forward-thinking leadership in the science of the 21^st century. By examining old questions with new tools and by developing new, synthetic questions and approaches, the field continues to advance many areas of biological science and science more generally. At the same time, some paradigms need change, and herpetologists would benefit from greater activism in effecting those changes. Such areas include more integrative approaches to research and education, more effective collaboration in research and in effecting a more unified voice for the meaning and value of science, and more attention to the responsibility to the public that all scientists share.