Tools are awesome. Tools are one of the purest manifestations of the humankind. Tool-making is the triumph of man. Tools are the Nietzschean Will to Power.
Where would we be without them? The pure human form is bad at dealing with the harsh realities of this world. Our flash and bones are no match for the fire, thunder, bear claws and various other elements of this world.
Try to skin a rabbit or cut down a tree without tools such as a knife or an axe. To survive in this world, we need at least a sharp piece of rock.
It is exactly through tools that man subdued this planet with all its species. The tools made us superhuman.
There should therefore be a science of tools as a way of understanding civilization and human progress.
The closest thing I know of is technological determinism. It is the theory that technology drives the development of society and culture. It claims that technology shapes human behavior and values, rather than the other way around.
I consider myself to be a technological determinist of sorts, but I don't equate tools with technology. They are related, but they are not the same.
Tools are devices designed to help people perform specific tasks, such as cutting, drilling, or measuring. They are often simple, hand-held, and can be used in a variety of settings. Tools are, literally “that which is used in preparation".
Technology is a broader term referring to the application of science to create new things, processes and systems. It can include various tools, machines (both software and hardware), and other devices.
Tools are primordial. They proceed technology. Technology is built with tools. Tools father technology. Technology is an offspring of tools.
We shaped tools to conquer the world, and in turn the tools shaped our minds and bodies. Those fingers on your mouse or phone? They came to be this way for optimal tool handling.
There should therefore be a science of tools to help us better understand what brought us to where we are and to figure out how to optimally move us forward. Because building evermore deadlier weapons and tanks to flatten cities to dust clearly cannot be the optimum.