Abstrakt
According to a popular view, theoretical models, including various mathematical and conceptual models, are to be construed as abstract objects with respect to their ontological status. However, abstract objects are a matter of great disputes, and, as one of the major objections goes, conceiving theoretical models in terms of abstract objects leads to a contradiction.
This paper introduces a distinction between metaphysical and constructivist readings of the abstract object view of models, and it presents reasons for favoring the latter. It also notes that the critics of the abstract object view have solely focused on the former reading, thus missing on an opportunity to pursue more fruitful lines of research.
Finally, it is argued that the constructivist reading nicely fits a naturalistic and deflationary framework on which theoretical models are ultimately conceived as mental models of a sort.