Great point, and the post never intended to talk about this topic. I think there's great merit to 'gut feeling' from field experts, even if they cannot support

Great point, and the post never intended to talk about this topic. I think there's great merit to 'gut feeling' from field experts, even if they cannot support it with data at the moment, maybe because the nature of the thing is exploratory at that certain stage or it's simply too chaotic. Experience and intuition coming from experts tenured in relevant areas is priceless - but it doesn't have to come with hierarchy or power based authority. When people naturally respect someone they will listen. No need to force it.