Final answer:
Isaac Newton and other enlightened thinkers of the Scientific Revolution believed that truth could be found through the application of reason, thus advancing the fields of physics, mathematics, and optics away from traditional means of understanding the natural world.
Step-by-step explanation:
Isaac Newton, a pivotal figure in the Scientific Revolution, made significant advancements in the fields of physics, mathematics, and optics. His formulation of the laws of motion and universal gravitation spearheaded a paradigm shift, demonstrating that the natural world operated on predictable laws. Newton, along with his contemporaries, believed that these laws could be uncovered through the application of reason, signifying a departure from reliance on philosophy, strict obedience to authority, or the study of religious doctrines. Instead, these enlightened thinkers emphasized a scientific approach based on empirical evidence and logical thought. Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, epitomized this rationalist view, providing a comprehensive and demonstrable model for the workings of the universe.