Abstrakt
What is the nature of theoretical models? This question has led to a variety of ontological accounts. After reviewing some of the major views I argue for a naturalistic approach to (dis)solving the issue at hand.
Such a naturalistic approach boils down to construing theoretical models as mental models, or so I argue. It is, however, desirable to keep the various accounts in the pocket rather than throwing them away.
For one thing, these accounts have successfully identified number of important features of scientific practice. At the same time, they have to be stripped off of their more metaphysically robust ambitions because taking these metaphysical commitments too seriously leads to insurmountable problems.
Furthermore, it is best to focus on those features that the various accounts have highlighted instead of building elaborate metaphysical constructs.