I don't recall Spolsky's article (even though the term rings a bell), but as someone having worked in modelling and simulation the better part of my career, I tend to think of it more along the lines of Asimov's "Relativity of Wrong": every "thing" is a model, and no model is perfect, but some models are better than others. If you're waiting for the perfect model, you'll never do anything, which brings to mind another adage, adapted: strong models, weakly held. That is to say, do the best with what you've got and don't be afraid to change once you find a better model, but always remember that they are models with limits.

The fine article linked here about fungi I applaud as improving our models.