

Why do people in Shin Sekai Yori die if they kill other humans?

I remember that during the anime they go through some ritual, but why does
that ritual work? What is that ritual exactly? Is it something religious or is
it just portrayed religiously but has scientific reasons it works? Do they
psychologically affect the subconscious of humans? Is it a religious "magic"
that does the trick? What gets triggered in the human brain after when people
try to kill other humans? By what mechanism do they die? Why is the ritual
needed?

Also, what was the name of this thing? Was it death of shame? Why is that the
name?

NOTE: I have watched (not recently) the whole show, so no risk of spoilers.
Sorry the story is not very fresh on my mind.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T20:08:14.000
9746
2015-11-21T19:21:51.917
2014-05-15T20:51:27.270
3269
3269
question
from-the-new-world
Why do people in Shin Sekai Yori die if they kill other humans?


This is all spoilers if you haven't seen the entire show.

The Death Feedback is part genetic and part conditioned. From episode 4, they
mention that the human genome was modified and that the Death Feedback works
by the subconscious becoming aware of an attempt to harm another human and it
uses their power to stop liver functions and parathyroid glands. This is
further reinforced by education, conditioning and hypnosis. I think in episode
12 Tomiko speculates that it could be possible to circumvent the Death
Feedback if the user was on some kind of stimulants or somehow didn't
recognize their targets as human.

(Taken from part of my answer to [this
question](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/2858/how-are-akkis-fiends-
ogres-immune-to-death-feedback) which is also related.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T20:35:05.703
9747
2014-05-15T20:35:05.703
2017-04-13T12:54:49.090
-1
91
9746
answer


The rituals performed on the children when they first gain Cantus powers do
not have to do with death feedback - the rituals put in place a safeguard
which allows some members of the community to effectively turn on and off the
children's powers - this is what happens during the camping trip when they are
discovered by the priest.

Death Feedback is a physical genetic safeguard bred into humans, and members
of the community are conditioned from a young age to view killing another
human as abhorrent. It isn't a part of the coming-of-age ritual the children
go through before attending school.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-21T19:21:51.917
27493
2015-11-21T19:21:51.917
19230
9746
answer