"Thousands of years with only their own influences just equals a society that never grows, never changes, and finds itself stuck in the same ways forever," Ben says. "Innovation and creativity to a point, and then stagnation because they become convinced that they are the supreme society, and nothing else could be better."

His smile over the top of the bottle is warm, genial, and Diamond sharp underneath it.

"But I've never thought anything created in a vacuum was very interesting."