ABSTRACT
Economic theory, following the utilitarian tradition, and following the latter's influence on the modern perception of economic theory, introduces us to an individual whose system of preferences is represented by the utility function. The problem of the person when faced with utilitarianism shall be dealt with through the use of three distinct but complementary features, namely the representation of the person according to utility, the negation of the person, and the third feature is a direct result of the second: since persons are quasi-objects, they are substitutable. A person is not as untarnished as economic theory presupposes him to be. By taking economic calculation into account, responsibility could be dealt with according to two different angles. It could first be considered through the internalisation of moral norms by the individual. Responsibility could also be perceived through the conception of norms as an external phenomenon whose respect is imposed through sanctions that accompany these norms.
