Hierarchy of evidence

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About
The hierarchy of evidence is a ranking of different types of evidence, to be used as a guideline for determining which evidence should be considered more credible when more than one type is available.

The following list is a first pass, and should not be considered complete, definitive, or certain:


 * 1) hearsay
 * 2) intuition
 * 3) experience
 * 4) circumstantial evidence
 * 5) physical evidence
 * 6) verified hypothesis
 * 7) repeatedly verified hypothesis
 * 8) demonstrably sound reasoning from agreed-upon facts (see rationality detection)

Evidence of a higher-numbered type generally trumps evidence of a lower-numbered type. Each type of experience may have a range of credibility, and it's entirely possible that the upper end of a given type should trump the lower end of another -- e.g. the opinion of a professional with years of experience in a given field should arguably trump circumstantial evidence that is not overwhelming, unless there is reason to suspect the motivations of the professional.