He grew up in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, adjacent to Columbia University, with which he was to be affiliated his entire adult life.
Edman spent his high-school years at Townsend Harris Hall, a New York high school for superior pupils.
He then attended Columbia University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and earned his bachelor's degree in 1917 and his Ph.D. in 1920.
He was a popular professor and served as a mentor to undergraduate students, notably future Pulitzer Prize-winning author Herman Wouk.
In addition to writing philosophical works, Irwin Edman was a frequent contributor to literary magazines such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly (later renamed The Atlantic), The New York Times Magazine, Harper's Weekly, Commentary, and Horizon.