STEM make up the tools we use to understand the world. From the little things ("how can we make this engine a bit more efficient?"), through the big things ("how can we supply the world with more energy without causing global warming?") to the gigantic ("how does the universe work"?).
As a bonus, the STEM way of thinking is very useful for an honest societal debate.
> > As a bonus, the STEM way of thinking is very useful for an honest societal debate.
> What about philosophy, sociology, and liberal arts?
That 'way of thinking' originated in Philosophy (and much of what we call STEM today was originally termed Natural Philosophy), and Sociology does in fact fall into the 'Science' bucket.
As for the arts, I personally prefer the STEAM acronym in order to include it.
It's the only to we have that works really really amazingly well.
Philosophy, sociology, the liberal arts would never put person on the moon, do heart transplants, give us vaccines, the internet, computing devices, etc.
As a bonus, the STEM way of thinking is very useful for an honest societal debate.