What is the author's tone in Science and the Enlightenment by Thomas L. Hankins?

In terms of tone, there is almost nothing noteworthy about the author's tone in this book. As already mentioned, the author clearly has an interest and some sympathy with Enlightenment thinkers, though it is not clear how far that sympathy extends. The author writes in the measured, almost anonymous, style of modern, academic history, and if he intends to ridicule or support one view over the other in the text, this would be hard to determine from the measured, cool tone of the book.

Despite the measured tone, however, there does seem to be a delight in the accomplishments of these thinkers. Indeed, it is easy to feel and share this excitement with the author. In these pages we learn about the quest and often acquisition of knowledge by some of the greatest minds in human history. Despite later attacks on Enlightenment thinkers (critiques, which this author may accept though that is not at all clear from the text here) it is not hard to see how a historian, even one whose sentiments have been molded by the practice of his discipline would marvel at the men chronicled in these pages. It is no surprise that the author ends his work on the moral sciences and his tone becomes a little more enthusiastic when he is discussing these men. All in all, though, partly form the nature of the subject matter and partly, no doubt, to the standards of his discipline, the author adopts and maintains an even, measured tone throughout the book.