That's what feels inherently wrong to me about our knowledge system is our common knowledge is so superficial and we're constantly loosing touch with very basics about nature of things.
I'm sure lots of people have some ideas how one could make a fire in theory (creating sparks or rubbing wood against wood or using a lens in bright sunlight or whatever). Whether a lot of people could actually put that knowledge to practical use is a different issue... but then again, it's not something inherently wrong. Just shows that average Joe doesn't need to start fire without tools, because tools are plenty nowadays. In our society it's more useful for the average Joe to be skilled at reading than at starting fires. That's not a bad thing.
* How to build a sturdy shelter
* How to hunt
* How to trap
* How to forage without poisoning yourself
* How to plow a field
* How to build a plow
* How to sharpen a knife
* How to forge a knife
* How to grow crops (planting seasons, pests, enclosures, blight, etc)
How many people know how to do stuff like change their oil or brakepads without watching YouTube?
How many HN readers need to search for specific commands for Makefiles -- I still do sometimes -- or how to use an obscure part part of an API?
Perhaps the Neanderthal had a similar organization? There's a reason why they survived longer than modern Sapiens have been around.
We've externalized these memories to make for a more sustainable society, because if you could bootstrap civilization, well, what needs you cooperate with your neighbor?
I wanted to learn it myself. Without matches I'm lost in the woods.