[atoav]

For all I, a Victorian everyman, know the world is built from small pistons, gears and pulleys.

Every age has their technology which they will project onto the world. A century ago one may have started to talks about everything being electrical wires and switches.

[d_tr]

It doesn't matter whether the model assumes bits, pulleys, elves or whatever, as long as it does a better job at describing physical reality than whatever exists at the time anyway. People will try and very probably succeed in providing alternative formalism anyway.

All that matters is whether it facilitates reasoning towards the goal.