Conceptual Modeling and Minkowski Spacetime

Here N. David Mermin criticises our propensity to reify our conceptual models:

http://www2.fc.unesp.br/~malvezzi/downloads/Ensino/Disciplinas/IntrodMecQuant/textos/What's%20bad%20about%20this%20habit%20-%20David%20Mermin.pdf

And here Vesselin Petkov argues, specifically in response to Mermin's argument, that Minkowski's 4D spacetime should be accepted as real:

http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/9181/1/Spacetime-reality.pdf

I suspect the debate is far from settled.