Final answer:
The advances of the Scientific Revolution influenced René Descartes and others to think about the world in new ways, promoting reason and observation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The advances of the Scientific Revolution led René Descartes and others to think about the world in new ways by inspiring new approaches to understanding the natural world, promoting reason and observation. The Scientific Revolution, with its emphasis on empirical observation and the belief that the universe behaved according to universal laws, provided a model for looking rationally at human institutions as well as nature.