Hierarchy of evidence
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:
- hearsay
- intuition
- experience (argument from authority)
- circumstantial evidence
- physical evidence
- verified hypothesis
- repeatedly verified hypothesis
- 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.