Phil was born in a small subarctic community in Canada, and subsequently did much rough travel in North America, Europe and Africa, supporting himself first by farm labour, then by a variety of jobs.

He undertook a solitary but systematic study of world history and anthropology, and currently survives as a writer, translator and blogger in Toronto.

He focuses on democratic theory, cross-cultural democratic history, and resistance to authoritarian regimes, with numerous niche interests, such as Métis history in Canada, caste systems, LGBT+ issues, and translating medieval chronicles.

He holds no academic position, but his occasional scholarly publications are regularly cited.