In his essay "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture" (1973), Geertz explains that he adopted the term from philosopher Gilbert Ryle, specifically his lecture "What is le Penseur doing?"
"Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture" (1973) adlı denemesinde Geertz, terimi filozof Gilbert Ryle'dan, özellikle onun "What is le Penseur doing?" dersinden aldığını açıklar.