How did memes come into existence?
Memes probably came into existence with the development of the capacity for imitation. Once people (or early hominids) could imitate one another, simple memes – such as those for basket weaving, hunting skills, etc. – could spread slowly from one adherent to the next. Language could then be a development mediated by the memes, or the genes, or both, for the benefit of both as replicators. See Memetics and Society, The Evolution of Language.
