Depends, if you are a realist, then there is a field; if you are a anti-realist then the electron is not real but only a convenient shorthand in the first place

Depends, if you are a realist, then there is a field; if you are a anti-realist then the electron is not real but only a convenient shorthand in the first place. Compare http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-realism/ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-realism/ (and references therein)