Conversation so far:
what was the degree of influence of language on thought that Benjamin Lee Whorf had?
Benjamin Whorf noted that to communicate thoughts and experiences with members of a speech community speakers must use the linguistic categories of their shared language—a process called thinking for speaking.
what can you tell me about Benjamin Lee Whorf?
Some of Benjamin Lee Whorf's statements lend themselves to the interpretation that he supported linguistic determinism.

Question: did he actually support linguistic determinism?
Self-contained rewrite: did Benjamin Lee Whorf's  statements that lend themselves to the interpretation that he supported linguistic determinism actually support linguistic determinism?