Cowley noted that, as on his previous solo album, Each in Our Own Thoughts (1994), Pragma shows Hodgkinson "pushing back the limits of his identity as a composer, in a post-classical sense".

[1] "For Looking Inside" has some "interesting textures", and "Mala; Elated" has "good idea[s] that takes on cataclysmic proportions", but Couture felt that overall they are "not enough to salvage the album from its self-sufficient aura".

[1] Reviewing Pragma in Exposé, Jeff Melton called the album's music "difficult" because he felt that "the listener must have the discipline to hear the 'big picture' and not get caught in a scattering of perceived dissonant ideas.

"[4] Melton said the voices on "SHHH" create "a disturbing, almost ghostly mood", and described "For Looking Inside" as "controlled mayhem" that is "definitely not for the faint of heart".

[4] Melton stated that he is waiting for the horror film industry to discover the potential in Hodgkinson's music, but added it is more likely he "will still languish with others who only appeal to a small, but educated audience.