Oh, foolishness is it! I certainly can see it in my mind's eye and that is the central issue to our understanding the Universe. That is exactly what is meant by a mental model of reality.

Once again, I agree with what you say, but not your conclusions. I would say that the fact that we have experiences would require that the experiences "come from somewhere." Be that a tank with my brain in it, or some doctors poking at my brain with a scalpel to see what I experience next, doesn't matter. Doctors with scalpels or sensory deprivation tanks imply a tangible universe outside our experience.