1️⃣ What is Social Science?

Social Science is the systematic study of human society — it tells us not just what happened, but also why it happened.

• It explains how people live together, how environments shape life, how governments work, how economies run, and how the past shapes the present.
• Natural sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) study the natural world.
• Social Science studies society, institutions, cultures & human interactions.

2️⃣ Social Science in Everyday Life

Even our simplest daily actions are connected to Social Science:

• 🏠 The house we live in → materials sourced from different places
• 🍽️ Our food → harvested, transported, bought & sold by many people
• 🛣️ Roads → planned & maintained by public authorities
• 🏫 School → shaped by education policies
• ⚡ Electricity → generated far away, delivered through networks

3️⃣ Society through Time & Traditions

Society has changed hugely over thousands of years — from nature-dependent communities → farming → villages → towns → cities.

🌿 Pañchamahābhūtas (5 Great Elements)

Indian idea that nature = Earth (Pṛithvī), Water (Āpaḥ), Fire (Agni), Air (Vāyu), Space (Ākāśha) — an interconnected system explaining settlement patterns, food habits & health.

🌍 Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam

Means “the world is one family” — shows interconnectedness of human societies across the globe.

📜 Arthaśhāstra (by Kauṭilya)

Composed ~2,300 years ago; discusses administration, economy, taxation & duties of rulers — proves systematic thinking about governance existed long ago.

4️⃣ Social Science as a Study of Disciplines

Society is complex — no single subject can explain it fully.

So Social Science = group of related disciplines, each looking at a different angle of human life.

4 Core Disciplines (Grades 9–10):

Other related fields: Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology (studied in higher grades).

5️⃣ Geography

• Studies location & distribution of places, people, objects & materials.
• Examines both physical features of Earth and human communities.
• Combines spatial (location) + temporal (change over time) perspectives.
• Draws from natural sciences (Physics, Biology) + social sciences (History, Economics).
• Tools used: Maps, Globes, Atlases, GIS, Infographics.

Fig: NCERT’s School Bhuvan Portal — used to map your own village/city

6️⃣ History

• Study of the human past — helps understand experiences, values & changes over time.
• Itihāsa-Purāṇa tradition — one of the oldest ways of preserving cultural memory in Bharat through stories.
• Modern historiography relies on empirical evidence — carbon-14 dating, archaeology, human genetics.

7️⃣ Sources of History

Historians use many types of sources to reconstruct the past:

• Literary sources: travelogues, memoirs, manuscripts, folklore
• Archaeological sources: monuments, artefacts, sculptures
• Epigraphic sources: inscriptions on stone/metal (📌 gives direct evidence of rulers & administration)
• Numismatic sources: coins/currency (📌 helps study economy, chronology & rulers)

8️⃣ Political Science

• Study of governance — how power is distributed, decisions made & policies implemented.
• Studies constitutions, governments, institutions, social movements & foreign policy.
• Panchayati Raj = example of grassroots democracy in India’s villages.
• Linked historically with dharma (moral duty), artha (economic well-being) & rājadharma (ruler’s duty).
• Key texts: Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, Śhukranīti, and especially the Arthaśhāstra.

9️⃣ Economics

• Studies how individuals & societies use limited resources to meet needs.
• Explores how goods/services are produced, exchanged & distributed.
• Decision-makers: Consumers (what to buy), Producers (what to produce), Government (policies for growth & fairness).
• India’s economy: once a global leader → disrupted by colonial rule → rebuilding after independence → progress in infra, education, poverty reduction.

🔟 Why Should We Study Social Science?

• Helps us understand systems around us (house, water, roads, schools, digital spaces).
• Explains why people around us differ in language, customs & occupation — builds respect & cooperation.
• Helps us participate responsibly as citizens in a democracy.
• Builds skill of asking informed questions about issues like environment, health, employment.
• Connects past → present → future for wiser decision-making.

1️⃣1️⃣ The Future of Social Science

• Growing importance due to new technologies, urban growth, migration & global connections.
• Will help address climate change, sustainable development, social harmony & equitable resources.
• Prepares us to be informed & thoughtful citizens while staying rooted in cultural traditions.