Europe is ablaze. Over the weekend, protesters in Brussels threw fireworks at police. In the Netherlands they set fire to bicycles. Thousands are marching in Croatia, Italy and Austria against Covid-19 restrictions.

In most of these countries, the cause is the introduction of Covid-19 passesVarious European states have introduced apps or forms that confirm people's vaccination status. Those without these passes can be barred from using certain services.. But in Austria the situation is more serious. Yesterday the country imposed a new lockdown. It is thought that Germany might follow suit.

These countries have been hit hard by the virus because of their low vaccination rates. Around 32% of Germans and 35% of Austrians have not had both doses.

This might conflict with our usual perception of German-speaking nations as sensible, moderate and practical. Germans and Austrians are sceptical of conventional medicine.

Many Germans prefer "natural" remedies. Some opt for the "anthroposophicA kind of alternative medicine, practised in some 80 countries, that draws on spiritual philosophy. Its practitioners often make use of homeopathy and reject vaccines. " medicine pioneered in the 1920s by Rudolf SteinerAn Austrian philosopher and mystic who founded anthroposophic medicine. He devoted his life to finding a synthesis between science and spirituality.. At "Steiner hospitals", Covid-19 patients are given bizarre treatments, including tiny particles of iron supposedly harvested from meteoritesA piece of debris from out of space that crashes into Earth. Unlike asteroids, which can be kilometres across, they are very small and so cause little damage..

This kind of misinformation is lethal. The mortality rate from Covid-19 in Germany and Austria is 32 times higher among the unvaccinated.

That is why some believe the pandemic has opened up a new phase in the war between reason and superstition.

They argue all thinking is either rational or superstitious. Rational thinking is critical and evidence-based. It means letting facts guide us, rather than seeking facts that confirm our ideas. Superstition is led by flawed logic.

Some see history as one long advance towards greater rationality. The Scientific RevolutionA period lasting from the mid-1500s to the late 1700s, in which modern science - and the scientific method - emerged. The scientific method is based on close observation and scepticism about what is being observed. allowed us to understand our world, and the Enlightenment used this knowledge to push back the frontiers of tradition and religious dogma.

Today, rationality is under threat from superstition. Conspiracy theories corrupt people's reason by closing their minds to evidence.

Others think appeals of reason are not so different from superstitions. They argue rationalists put too much faith in the idea that everything can be explained by reason. In their efforts to control the world in order to secure the "rational" outcome, rationalists can end up exaggerating facts.

For example, masks and vaccines are effective at preventing the spread of Covid-19, but they have faults. Rather than accepting this nuance, we have ended up with a debate between conspiracy theorists who see them as a government ploy, and rationalists who treat them like a silver bulletA simple solution to a complicated problem. In folklore, a silver bullet is the only weapon that can kill a werewolf..

They think we should have enough empathy to listen to people whose ideas we believe are wrongheaded, not dismiss them as irrational.

Yes. Conspiracy theories are a kind of superstition: they mean putting your faith in a set of preconceived ideas, and they prevent people from reasoning correctly. These superstitions must be exposed and dissected.

No. Rationalism is another kind of superstition. Putting your faith in understanding and control can cause worse outcomes than conspiracy theories. Society will benefit most if we approach others with empathy.