There are three things I would like to accomplish in these comments. First, I would like to mention some of the larger issues addressed by Stuart Kauffnan's work. They are related to important questions in other fields; pointing out the relationships could be useful for finding the kinds of interdisciplinary connections to which this conference is devoted. Second, I will describe my own perspective on Kauffman's work; my interests are basically conceptual, not technical. Finally, I want to draw some parallels between arguments about phylogenetic and ontogenetic origins; these parallels cast additional light of Kauffman's endeavors.