This article explores the multifaceted influence of sociology on the intellectual development and scholarly work of Tadeusz Kowalik, a prominent Polish economist and historian of economic thought. Although trained as an economist, Kowalik persistently resisted disciplinary boundaries, drawing heavily on sociological insights to critique both socialist and capitalist economic systems. Influenced early on by Ludwik Krzywicki and Oskar Lange, Kowalik engaged deeply with themes such as alienation, institutional diversity, and the interdependence of economy and society. His intellectual trajectory reflects a consistent opposition to the positivist narrowing of economics and a commitment to embedding economic analysis within broader social realities. By tracing Kowalik’s evolving relationship with sociology across Poland’s shifting political landscape—from state socialism through the post-socialist transformation—the article underscores his role as a public intellectual who advocated for economic systems grounded in social justice, democratic planning, and pluralism.