[chairmansteve]

Ok... How about this? All (human) models of the universe are "Ptolemaic" to some degree. That is, they work but don't necessarily describe the true underlying structure ().

So it is a mistake to assume that any model is actually true.

Therefore complex numbers are just another modeling language, useful in certain contexts. All mathematics is just a modeling language.

() If you doubt this, ask yourself the question: Will the science of particle physics have changed in 100 years?