Yes, the Ising model is complicated but so are issues surrounding zero point energy, vitrual particles and what drives the randomness of quantum physics. There

Yes, the Ising model is complicated but so are issues surrounding zero point energy, vitrual particles and what drives the randomness of quantum physics. There are many unanswered questions remaining about them. Here, the broader question can also be asked in connection with electric fields and exactly what is a 'potential' and what 'drives' it. Similarly, what's 'inside' the weak and strong forces? Take a hypothetical: if one were able to get inside the weak force field and sample and analyze some of its 'force' component what would one find? Even at the highest level of physics we still talk about forces and fields as if they're some kind of axiomatic given.