Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual's beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of their own culture, rather than judged against the standards of another. Pioneered by Franz Boas, it emerged as a critical response to ethnocentrism, the tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to use it as a yardstick for evaluating others. Methodological cultural relativism is a core anthropological approach, advocating for researchers to suspend their own cultural biases to gain an objective understanding of a foreign culture. This allows for a deeper appreciation of diverse practices, from marriage customs to religious rituals, by recognizing their internal logic and function within their specific cultural context. While crucial for unbiased research, cultural relativism faces debates regarding its limits, particularly when confronted with universal human rights or practices deemed harmful, leading to discussions about 'moral relativism'.