If you understand a storm, you can create lightning rods and early warning systems. If you understand a thug, you can anticipate their tactics and needs -- work to undo their need or capacity to cause harm.

Being ethical and 'moral' is a choice, not the result of supernatural forces or desires.

Even when serious problems are a result of human activity, there is no reason to be misanthropic. Very few people are so selfish that they feel no obligation to contribute to this world. Those who seem so may just be in denial: holding onto beliefs that have become obsolete.