As a young man he studied at the universities of Freiburg, Vienna, Munich, Heidelberg and Berlin, and served in the military during World War I.
[2] Baumgardt's main field of studies was ancient philosophy and ethics.
[5] Many commentaries were written about his work, including David Baumgardt and ethical hedonism by Zeev Levy and also Aristotle Ethical views by Mehdi Shokri.
Baumgardt died in Long Beach, New York, United States.
A fellowship is offered by the Leo Baeck Institute, which houses a collection of his papers, to students who study and extend Baumgardt's work.