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 new Covid-19 restrictions.

In most of these countries, the cause of the unrest 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 still more serious. Yesterday the country imposed a new lockdown. It is thought that Germany might soon follow suit.

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

This might seem to conflict with our usual perception of German-speaking nations as sensible, moderate and practical. But Germans and Austrians have long been sceptical of conventional medicine.

Many Germans prefer "natural" remedies over vaccines, which they see as dangerous chemicals that should not be put in the body. Some opt instead 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 than among the vaccinated.

That is why some believe that the pandemic has opened up a new phase in the long 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 our ideas, rather than seeking facts that confirm our ideas. Superstition is led by flawed logic and false information.

Some see human 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 for the first time, and the Enlightenment used this knowledge to push back the frontiers of tradition and religious dogma.

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

But 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 and controlled by reason. In their efforts to control the world in order to secure the "rational" outcome, rationalists can end up exaggerating the facts.

For example, masks and vaccines are effective at preventing the spread of Covid-19, but they have their faults. Yet rather than accepting this nuance, we have ended up with a debate between conspiracy theorists who see them as a dangerous 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, say some. Conspiracy theories are a kind of superstition: they mean putting your faith in a set of preconceived ideas rather than looking coolly at the facts, and they prevent people from reasoning correctly. Sunlight is the best disinfectant: these superstitions must be exposed and dissected.

No, say others. Rationalism is just another kind of superstition. Putting your faith in understanding and control can cause even worse outcomes than belief in conspiracy theories or the supernatural. Society will benefit most if we approach others with empathy and humility.