Tom Cruise's Body of Work (with Aled Maclean-Jones) - Econlib
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Tom Cruise's Body of Work (with Aled Maclean-Jones)
May 18 2026
What can Tom Cruise's last impossible mission teach us about usefulness in the digital age? Aled Maclean-Jones argues that dangling from cargo planes, soldering hard drives, and skydiving nineteen consecutive times is really an extended tribute to embodied knowledge. Listen as MacLean-Jones and EconTalk's Russ Roberts analyze the unique concept of competence presented in Cruise's films. Along the way, they cover London cabbies who refuse to use Waze, a fatal dive at the sound barrier, solo sailing around the globe, and the small triumph of fixing a broken toilet by oneself. They conclude by exploring the possibility that physical mastery may come to matter more as computers take over the work of the mind.
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Doug Iliff
May 18 2026 at 3:41pm
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Regarding Russ’s appreciation for the usefulness of London cabbies who don’t use, or need, Google Maps: Many years ago I took one of my boys to England for a tour. We rented a car, drove around for a week, and returned to London at night. We had a map to find our way back to the rental venue, but all of the street signs were on the side of buildings, unilluminated. Completely flummoxed, we just pulled off in front of a hotel. A kindly cabbie walked over and asked what we were doing. After explaining our situation, he said “follow me,” jumped in his cab, and led us to the agency. God bless him.
Doug Iliff
May 19 2026 at 11:29am
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And thanks, Russ, for being a rational voice in this fog of AI gobbledygook. Driving to work this morning, Mr. Maclean-Jones was babbling interminably when you finally interrupted his stream of consciousness with a plain-spoken DC-3 story. A flight on a DC-3 was my 12th birthday present—- a short but thrilling trip from Kansas City to Topeka—- and it was, indeed, entry through a rear door and a 30 degree uphill climb. What a relief to return to the world of reality.
Luke J
May 19 2026 at 10:05pm
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My 12 year-old was listing all of the reasons she should have a phone: "what if my tire is flat? what if I’m injuried? what if I want to stop by the park on the way home?.." To which I simply asked, "What would Tom Cruise do?"
lawrence core smith
May 22 2026 at 7:22am
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tom cruise and people who can do lots of things
in college i should have taken one less history of art class one replaced it with a small engine repair class
i have always lived in a rural community and people can fix anything are everywhere. they would not know the pieta if it was in their living room
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Watch this podcast episode on YouTube:<br>Why Embodied Knowledge is Irreplaceable in the Digital Age with Aled Maclean-Jones. Live-recorded video with audio. Available at the Hoover Institution.<br>This week's guest:<br>Rake's Digress. Aled Maclean-Jones' Substack.<br>Seiko, Swatch, and the Swiss Watch Industry (with Aled Maclean-Jones). EconTalk.<br>This week's focus:<br>"The Last Useful Man: On Tom Cruise and the Case for Embodied Knowledge," by Aled Maclean-Jones. The Metropolitan Review, Dec. 3, 2025.<br>Additional ideas and people mentioned in this podcast episode:<br>The Unseen Work: Stewart Brand on Maintenance and Civilization. EconTalk.<br>"The Maintenance Race," by Stewart Brand. Works in Progress.<br>Michael Polanyi David Autor on the Future of Work and Polanyi's Paradox. EconTalk.<br>Tyler Cowen on the Risks and Impact of Artificial Intelligence. EconTalk.
"Director Ryan Coogler gives a casual masterclass on film formats and aspect ratios," by Abby Ferguson. DP Review, April 25, 2025.<br>The Complete Stories of J. G....