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Why did Aristotle consider logic a tool rather than a theoretical science?

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Marble bust of Aristotle with a beard and draped robe, showing detailed facial features and wavy hair, set against a dark background. — Aristotle Aristotle, detail of a Roman copy (2nd century bce) of a Greek alabaster portrait bust (c. 325 bce); in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.

For Aristotle, logic was not considered a theoretical science because it did not study a specific domain of reality in the way that physics, mathematics, or metaphysics did. Instead, he viewed logic as a universal tool—reflected in the collective name of his logical works, the Organon, which means "tool"—that was utilized by all other sciences to conduct rigorous inquiry and demonstration.1

While Aristotle established logic as a formal, disciplined system of rules and strategies for reasoning, he distinguished it from the theoretical sciences, which he defined as the study of nature, quantity, or "being as being". By developing syllogistic forms and using variables to achieve high levels of abstraction, he created a methodology for knowledge-seeking that could be applied across any subject matter. Consequently, logic served as the essential framework for scientific methodology rather than being a branch of science itself.12