Why do we humans look at life so materialistically? 

What is material? Material is nothing but the other side of Einstein's equation for relativity:

"Energy equals Mass (material) times the square of the speed of light"

E = MC²

Our mind provides the energy that puts the mess, er, mass together.

C² means

The devil laughed, because he knew life had no meaning; the angels, as they flew over, laughed too, knowing what the meaning was. – Milan Kundera