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The standardization and certification of the quality of processes, products, and market services raises several paradoxes: it contributes to “hyper-rationalizing” the firm’s organization and—by reifying its adaptation to change—leads the actors into a process of “regression” (in the Freudian sense of the term), which inhibits their creative abilities. And yet, this negative perception of the organization’s scientific approach to quality is contradicted by the improvement of the company’s image, changes in working conditions, and the acceleration of technological progress, which are generally acknowledged in companies practicing “total quality” policies. These apparent contradictions invite us to further explore the question in light of the legal, philosophical, and psychological ramifications of quality standardization.