I agree it was basically because of respect for Boromir (and the fond memory of him) as the others have said.
But I also think it had a lot to do with Hobbit pride. Pippin had recently been through a lot of humiliating stuff on all different levels, from the Uruk-hai to the disdain of Saruman to the encounter with the Palantír and Sauron, etc. So he was itching to prove that he wasn't the wimpy little bumbling Hobbit everyone thought he was.
Quote:
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Then Pippin looked the old man in the eye, for pride stirred strangely within him, still stung by the scorn and suspicion in that cold voice.
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And so Pippin (surprise of the ages! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ) acted compulsively. This is somewhat what Bill Ferny said...but I'd have to disagree about it being a result of the hidden wisdom and foreknowledge of Hobbits. It seems to me just to be youth speaking: "Oh yeah?? I'm no rag-tag-tagalong, and I'll prove it to you!"