Any government, that is its own judge of, and determines authoritatively for the people, what are its own powers over the people, is an absolute government of course. It has all the powers that it chooses to exercise. There is no other or at least no more accurate definition of a despotism than this.

In this quote, Lysander Spooner, an American political theorist and abolitionist, argues that when a government has the authority to define and determine its own powers over the people, it becomes an absolute government. Spooner suggests that a government that can unilaterally decide what powers it will exercise has unchecked authority and effectively operates without any limitations. This, in his view, is the very definition of despotism, where a ruler or governing body wields arbitrary power over its citizens.

Spooner's critique is centered on the danger of a government that is both the judge and executor of its own power, which leads to a lack of accountability. When the government has the sole authority to determine what it can and cannot do, it removes the checks and balances that are essential to a free society. Spooner warns that this kind of power structure inevitably leads to the erosion of individual freedoms and the consolidation of tyranny.

The quote reflects Spooner’s anarchistic views, as he was a vocal critic of the state and its power over individuals. He believed that government was inherently oppressive and that any system where the government could define its own limits and powers was fundamentally unjust. By describing such a system as despotism, Spooner is emphasizing the absolute control that a government would have over the lives of its citizens, essentially making the government all-powerful and the people powerless.

Ultimately, Spooner's words serve as a warning against the dangers of unchecked government power. His quote calls for the necessity of external checks, accountability, and limits on government authority to ensure that it does not devolve into an authoritarian or despotic regime. Spooner advocates for a system where the people retain control over their freedoms, and the government is prevented from becoming a self-serving, absolute power.