A handwritten letter by Albert Einstein in which he grapples with the concept of religion has smashed predictions and sold for nearly $US2.9m.
The so‑called "God letter" was written in 1954 and was expected to fetch $US1.5m at the auction in New York.
It is seen as a key statement in the debate between science and religion.
The private letter was written a year before Einstein's death and remains the most fully articulated expression of his religious and philosophical views.
In the letter, written in his native German, Einstein takes issue with the belief in God.
Einstein wrote that “the word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weaknesses"
He also wrote “ The Jewish people to whom I gladly belong, and in whose mentality I feel profoundly anchored, still for me does not have any different kind of dignity from all other peoples,"
In 2017, a note in which Einstein gave advice on happy living sold for $US1.56m in Jerusalem.
That note had a single sentence, it reads: "A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it."
[Source:BBC News]
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