Cultural relativism is the principle that the beliefs, values, and practices of a culture should be understood and evaluated within the context of that culture rather than judged by the standards of another culture. In other words, cultural relativism holds that there is no single, universal standard of truth or morality and that the beliefs and practices of a culture must be understood on their terms without imposing the values of another culture. Cultural relativism is an important concept in anthropology, as it acknowledges the diversity of human cultures and the need to respect and understand other cultures on their terms. It is often contrasted with ethnocentrism, which is the tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture.
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