The article is devoted to the conflicting nature of epistemic virtues as viewed by British scientists in the second half of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19thcentury, the period when “Banks’ era” failed (1778-1820, named after the president of the Royal Society of London, the naturalist Joseph Banks). What values determined the formation of Banks’ personality? What epistemic strategy allowed him to choose the vector of development of intellectual and academic life of the British Empire for more than four decades? Asking these questions and analyzing the professional trajectory and ways of communication of J. Banks with other scientists, the author of the article comes to the conclusion about the decisive role of enthusiasm in the life of Banks and of his contemporaries. The article contains a detailed review of biographical works about J. Banks, a brief excursion into the history of epistemology of virtues and enthusiasm as an epistemic phenomenon, and a comparative description of the relationship between Banks and his two assistants (Charles Blagden and Humphrey Davy, as well as French naturalists Jacques-Julien Labillardière and Déodat de Dolomieu). The author discusses the specifics of the study of the intrinsic motivation of these scientists and proposes a new project for reconstruction of the social network of the scientists and intellectuals united by Banks, thanks to his extraordinary personal enthusiasm.