I think that only a genius would have a chance at getting a philosophy job without a graduate degree. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but if you are going to invest years into trying to make this happen you need to know what you are up against. When you apply to a philosophy position, your application will generally be in a stack of 100-200 applications. If you don't have the traditional credentials via a degree your publications and letters of rec will have to be unambiguously BETTER than just about everyone else's in the stack (being as good as everyone else won't be enough). Furthermore, your lack of academic affiliation will be an extra barrier to getting those publications and letters. Yes, some venues use blind review, but not all do. Even if you could get a couple of respectable letter writers, you would need to get them to give you clear, very strong recommendations and say that you are as good as the top students in the programs they teach in. At some schools it may be simply illegal or...

If you come out of an 'average' decent Ph.D. program, there is no guarantee that you would receive a professorship anywhere. Remember, your application will probably be in a stack of 100+ applications representing similarly qualified applicants. The critical step to getting a job (which many Ph.D. students fail to realize) is to distinguish yourself in some way during graduate school beyond simply getting a Ph.D. Graduating from a top program is one way to distinguish yourself... studying with a top professor within a specialty is another way (even if not at a top program)... producing a couple of articles for good journals is a third way.... impressing your professors in grad school so much that they say you are their best student in years is another way... getting good teaching credentials and experience might be another way... some combination of distinctions from this list is probably the ideal. Just remember that you need to focus on more than merely graduating from the Ph.D. program....you have to...

I sense a lot of admirable idealism behind your question. Yes, there is a conceptual difference between being an 'actual philosopher' and a 'philosophy professor', but fortunately there is still a lot of overlap between the two concepts. It is definitely possible to teach philosophy without being serious about advancing philosophical thought or living out a coherent thoughtful philosophy. More often, I think those whom you don't view as 'actual philosophers' started off more idealistically, but were discouraged either by the challenges of the 'philosophy profession' or by the skepticism they embraced as they developed philosophically. Not all philosophy departments are like your own. Some are populated with many professors that have successfully navigated the demands of the profession while maintaining a seriousness about philosophy and about service to their students. You should visit some other departments before embracing complete cynicism about the profession. And your final point is correct......

The academic job market in philosophy has been challenging for a long time. With the recent downturn in the economy, some people are describing it as the worst market in decades. Even before the downturn, you would have been very unlikely to land any long term job in philosophy with an M.A. In the current market, virtually no one will be getting a CC philosophy professorship without a Ph.D. In theory, the market should almost certainly improve by the time you would finish your Ph.D. But, even the 'normal' market is quite challenging. It is not unusual for even 'less desirable' jobs to receive 100-200 applications. And many gifted graduate students with impressive credentials have a difficult time getting jobs. There is a blog entitled the 'Philosophy Smoker' run by some anonymous graduate students who are on the philosophy job market. If you read it, you will get a glimpse at the incredibly difficult time many students have on the job market. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.