Author Archives: Laura Akers, Ph.D.

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About Laura Akers, Ph.D.

I'm a research psychologist at Oregon Research Institute, and I'm writing a book about meta-narratives, the powerful collective stories we share about who we are and where we're headed. My interests include beliefs and worldviews, ethics, motivation, and relationships, both among humans and between humans and the natural world.

Beliefs without religion: Some thoughts on the psychology of social movements

Posted on 20 August 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

When I was a young adult, I lived for 11 years in Oakland, California.  City life was a shock to my system – I was born on the Oregon coast, in a town that then had about 2,000 people. When … Continue reading →

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Stories about the stories behind the stories…

Posted on 14 July 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

It’s Hugo voting time!  Last year, my partner and I added Worldcon to our annual calendars, and that means we get to vote for the Hugos, the prestigious awards for the best new works in science fiction and fantasy.  We … Continue reading →

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Summertime thoughts on Star Trek, Santa Claus, and God

Posted on 22 June 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

An old friend, someone whom I like and respect, recently told me they hated something I wrote.  I believe he was sincere in what he had to say.  And although I was startled to read his email, I am also … Continue reading →

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Making my peace with King Arthur

Posted on 21 March 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

What’s the appeal of Arthur, King of the Britons?  A few years ago, in a post about irony and democracy, I mentioned in passing that I’ve never been much interested in his stories, and I largely blamed my strong adolescent … Continue reading →

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The ACK! factor

Posted on 24 February 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Here in the United States, we are constantly seeing bad news.  At this point in my little essay, conventional writing practices call for me to list the problems I think we’re facing.  That would let me signal to you, the … Continue reading →

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A bigger “we”?  Humanity as a group, not a category

Posted on 14 February 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Lately I’ve been pondering the notes I have for Chapter 3 of my current work-in-progress, and I think I’ve had an interesting insight.  In this blog, I usually write about “societal meta-narratives,” the background “stories” (really just story-like frameworks) for … Continue reading →

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“Us” and “Them” and That Notorious Trolley

Posted on 30 November 2025 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

I recently read a very well written and thought-provoking book, Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them, by Joshua Greene, which came out in 2013.  I had so many thoughts that I decided to put them … Continue reading →

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If only we had elves (or timelords)…

Posted on 25 November 2025 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

One of my favorite things is making fun connections between the things I’m watching and reading, and this past week has been great for that.  I’ll start with Brigands & Breadknives, the third in a series by Travis Baldree.  His … Continue reading →

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Why horror?

Posted on 31 October 2025 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

October is a great month for spooky reading!  I decided to pass on our online book club’s selection this month, Dracula, as I’ve already read it many, many times.  Instead, it seemed like a great opportunity to finally tackle The … Continue reading →

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The retconning of America

Posted on 13 October 2025 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

This past weekend, it was great fun to discover that the bookstore clerk-owner I know as “Steve at Tsunami” has written a new book!  It’s a fun book, too, a Jungian look at Star Wars, and on Saturday we attended … Continue reading →

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