Final answer:
The belief in question is known as cultural relativism, which implies an objective and culturally contextual understanding of another society's practices and ideas. It is key in sociology and anthropology to prevent cultural bias and to apply the sociological imagination for a deeper analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The belief that a culture's ideas and practices should be described objectively and understood in the context of that culture's problems and opportunities is known as cultural relativism. This concept suggests that we should assess a culture by its own standards rather than through the lens of one's own culture. Cultural relativism encourages understanding and evaluating cultures based on their own terms, allowing for a more nuanced view that acknowledges the complexity of different social practices and ideologies. This principle is crucial for sociologists and anthropologists when they study different societies, as it helps them maintain an objective stance while being sensitive to the cultural context of their subjects.
Moreover, cultural relativism ties closely into ethnography, which is the systematic study of people and cultures where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study. It also resonates with the idea of the 'sociological imagination' that C. Wright Mills discussed, which involves an awareness of the relationship between an individual's behavior and the wider culture that shapes their choices and perceptions.
By employing cultural relativism, researchers and students of sociology can strive for subjectivity and avoid the trap of evaluating other cultures using their own cultural biases, thus conducting studies with a critical yet appreciative eye.